Witnesses to the primacy of the Kingdom
2. Witnesses to the primacy of the Kingdom
Christ, sent in the fullness of time, [10]
in obedience to the Father
carried out His service for the many.
"The son of Man has not come to be served
but to serve
to give His life in ransom for the many
(Mark 10:45).
Through His solidarity with people
as the New Adam
He has revealed the love of God
and announced the Kingdom:
that new world
which, through groping human efforts
is already springing up
and which will find its fulfillment,
beyond all expectations,
when, through Jesus, God will be all in all.
"Yes, we know that all creation groans
and is in agony even until now.
Not only that, but we ourselves,
although we have the Spirit as first fruits,
groan inwardly while we await
the redemption of our bodies" (Rom. 8:22-23).
When finally, all has been subjected to the Son,
he will then subject himself to the One
who made all things subject to Him,
so that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28).
Christ prayed for the coming of the Kingdom, [11]
which is already active in His presence among us.
By His death and resurrection
He has opened us to the gift of the Spirit
and to the freedom of the children of God
(cf. Rom. 8:21).
He is for us the First and the Last,
the Living One (cf. Rev. 1:17-18).
In Him, [12]
the New Man has been created in the image of God,
in justice and holiness of truth (cf. Eph. 4:24).
He enables us to believe
that despite sin, failures and injustice,
redemption is possible, has been offered,
and is already present.
His way is our way.
With all our fellow Christians [13]
we are led to follow closely
in the footsteps of Christ
to arrive at holiness (cf. 1 Thess. 4:7).
"It was for this you were called
since Christ suffered for you in just this way
and left you an example,
to have you follow in His footsteps" (1 Pet. 2:21).
Rooted in our baptism and confirmation,
our religious vocation is a special gift
to glorify God,
and to witness to the primacy of the Kingdom.
Our vocation makes sense [14]
in complete and joyful union
with the person of Jesus.
Our vocation commits us to follow Christ,
"chaste and poor, who,
through His obedience unto death on the cross,
has redeemed people and made them holy" (PC 1).
We profess to strive for perfect charity,
by consecrating ourselves completely
to the love of God and our brothers and sisters.
For each of us, and for our communities, [15]
religious life is a story;
Beginning with the grace of its origins,
it develops by nourishing itself
on what the Church,
enlightened by the Spirit,
draws continually from the treasury of its faith.