When you stop to think about it, one word has almost disappeared from our political vocabulary: citizenship. If we can revive it, we will do much to improve the quality of government and the quality of life wherever we live. When citizenship is permeated by Christianity, the social fabric of the community is greatly strengthened.
Citizenship brings us face to face with our individual duties and responsibilities. As we shake ourselves free from the vestiges of the "me generation" culture, the idea of individual responsibility is proving to have considerable appeal. Thus it is valuable for Christians to consider that Christ Jesus' words continue to speak to us today as citizens of the kingdom of God. This does not imply merely a future role or responsibility, for he proclaimed that the kingdom of God is at hand. The spiritual citizen finds his obligations defined by the two great commandments, to love God and to love his neighbor as himself.
These commandments found practical expression in Jesus' day-to-day life. In his book Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord, R. Chenevix Trench refers to Jesus as "that Lord upon whose ear the tidings of woe might never fall in vain ...." Jesus example shows that the Christian does not just care emotionally about his neighbor but is able through Christ, Truth, to care effectively for his neighbor's needs. Jesus demonstrated the love of God to be unfailing in its care for man. He healed the sick, restored the handicapped to wholeness, fed the hungry. He illustrated the power of Christ, Truth, to deliver mankind from violence and injustice.
