Thursday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Wisdom 7:22-8:1 | Psalm 118(119):89-91,130,135,175 | Luke 17:20-25
‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’ (Luke 17:20-21)
It’s ironic that many of us read scripture from LCD screens now, as it’s often these electronic devices that distract us from perceiving the kingdom of God in our midst. By erecting Facebooks before our loved ones, and replacing meaningful interactions with casual “WhatsApp, man?”, we are in danger of relegating the kingdom of God to a vague concept, and therefore dismissable in the hubbub of temporal life.
But what is the “kingdom of God” on earth? Simply put, it is the Church:
On the one hand, the Church is “a sacrament — that is, sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity of the entire human race”. She is therefore the sign and instrument of the kingdom; she is called to announce and to establish the kingdom. On the other hand, the Church is the “people gathered by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”; she is therefore “the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery” and constitutes its seed and beginning. (Dominus Iesus, §18)
“Its seed and its beginning.” In other words, it’s not a done deal. We still have a lot of work to do, to spread the Good Word, to lead others to Jesus.
We’d best get started, if we haven’t already done so.
Lord, You called us to be one Church, one Kingdom in You. Help us help others find their way to You through us, and give us the courage to stand firm against the Evil One and his minions. Amen.