The Kindgom of God Is Among Us

 Luke 17: 20-25

The Coming of the Kingdom of God

²⁰ Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, ²¹ nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

²² Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. ²³ People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. ²⁴ For the Son of Man in his  day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. ²⁵ But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

 As we approach Advent, our Gospel passages are preparing us for the Coming of Jesus at the end of time. Life, this universe, all will be changed and be raised to its final form. This concept is far beyond our ability to grasp when science tells us that what we have now has been developing for billions of years.  Our space telescopes are finding systems millions of light years away that we never new existed.  The universe seems endless. Who are we in this grand system of stars and planets? And, two thousand years after the coming of Jesus to our planet, we are still far, far away from the kingdom he came to establish.  We, like the Pharisees might ask when this perfect kingdom will come, but the answer Jesus gave them still holds true.  It is in our midst already, when we empty ourselves of our selfishness, and give Jesus our love and allegiance, turning our hearts totally over to him and his teachings.  It's here when we love one another, forgive one another, and use our gifts and talents to serve one another.  Let's not look to the sky for the Kingdom, but to our everyday interactions with one another.

Bro. Rene 

God of all time and seasons, as autumn turns to winter and the days grow shorter, we remember and hope for your holy light in our lives. Give us your grace to see that where there is love, we find you among us—your kingdom here and now. Forgive our failing to love, to reconcile, to be converted. Fill our hearts with your love and give us the courage and strength to share it freely as your beloved sons and daughters. Come Holy Spirit—enkindle with us the fire of your love! Amen.

Rev. Bradley Metz, C.S.C.