The Kingdom Is Among Us

In today’s Gospel Jesus responds to questions about the coming of the Kingdom of God. “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed...For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Lk 17:20-21). Here Jesus goes on to explain that the people will be looking for the Son of man and they will say ‘here he is’ but he will not always be right there. He also explains the suffering that he must go through, as a foreshadowing to the passion he is going to endure on the cross. The kingdom of God is not a physical place, this is something that Jesus has been trying to explain to his disciples for a while now. IT is already here, but not yet. We are building the kingdom of God, yet it is already here. This is one of the many paradoxes that Christianity holds, and it is not meant to deter us, but rather to bring us closer. It tells us that God, being outside of time, has already set forth the kingdom of God and it is established, but humans being corporeal and bound by time, have a purpose through creation and thus have a part to play in building the kingdom of God. More importantly we understand the church today not to mean the walls in which we worship, but our brothers and sisters around the wold, throughout all of history. We are not called to be passively waiting for the kingdom of God to appear, we must take hold of our lives and build it up through our actions and our love for one another to make our life a continuous prayer to God.

Reflection: When I think of the future, what comes to mind?

Lord God, thank you for today and everyday. Thank you for your love and mercy. Please Lord, ease my anxiety of the future, help me to live in the present moment with you. Oh God, come to my assistance, allow my heart to be open to your will for me Lord, and let my actions be actions of love toward my neighbors. I pray, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

Resource: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111518.cfm