Cathal BarryJesus did not come to abolish evils but to free men from sin, writes Cathal Barry
Everyone is called to enter the kingdom of God. First announced to the children of Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept people of all nations.
The kingdom, according to the Church, belongs to the poor and lowly – those who have accepted it with humble hearts. Jesus is sent to "preach good news to the poor"; he declares them blessed, for "theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
Jesus shares the life of the poor, from the cradle to the cross; he experiences hunger, thirst and privation. Jesus identifies himself with the poor of every kind and makes active love toward them the condition for entering his kingdom.
Jesus invites sinners to the table of the kingdom: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mk 2:17). He invites them to that conversion without which one cannot enter the kingdom, but shows them in word and deed his Father's boundless mercy for them and the vast ìjoy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (Lk 15:7). The supreme proof of his love will be the sacrifice of his own life "for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28).
Jesus' invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables, a characteristic feature of his teaching. Through his parables, he invites people to the feast of the kingdom but he also presents a radical choice: to gain the kingdom, one must give everything. Words are not enough, according to the Church's teaching; deeds are required.
Jesus and the presence of the kingdom in this world are secretly at the heart of the parables. One must enter the kingdom, that is, become a disciple of Christ, in order to "know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 13:11).
Jesus accompanies his words with many ìmighty works and wonders and signsî which show that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he is the promised Messiah.
The Church teaches that the signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him. To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask.
Miracles, according to the Church, strengthen faith in Jesus; they bear witness that he is the Son of God (Jn 10:31-38). However, his miracles can also be occasions for "offence" (Mt 11:6). The Church is clear in its teaching that they are not intended to satisfy peopleís curiosity or desire for magic. Despite his miracles, the Church notes that some people reject Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons.
By freeing some individuals from hunger, injustice, illness and death, the Church holds that Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless, according to Church teaching, he did not come to abolish all evils on earth, but to free men from the gravest slavery, sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God's sons and causes all forms of human bondage (Jn 8:34-36).