A reading from the gospel according to Luke 17:20-25

20 Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
21 and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
23 There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
24 For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
25 But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

Reflection: Thy Kingdom Come

The kingdom of God as a phrase appears so many times in the bible especially in the gospels. It is actually the core or central theme of the teachings of Jesus. He came to earth to establish it with Him as the king.

Jesus says the kingdom of God is neither here nor there. It is among us. That means we don’t look for it anywhere but within us. It cannot be observed. It can only be experienced. Do not run in pursuit of it. Just live it and live for it. Yet many people do not know about it. Just like the Pharisees, they ask, “When will the kingdom of God come?”

In the midst of massive injustices in the world today, we also ask, “Where is the kingdom of God?” “When will it come?” It is a valid question but the presence of the kingdom in our midst and its ultimate fulfillment is as certain as night and day. Previously, Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Yes, it may be invisible to some people for now but the process of its achievement is written in stone so to speak.

It is easy to be discouraged by the present evils that envelope our society. Yet Jesus assures us that He will be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). With faith and hope, we will overcome. Meanwhile, let us be reminded that small acts of love like helping a needy neighbor is a manifestation of the presence of the kingdom in our life. Imagine these acts of kindness when repeated all over the world. We would be amazed to know that the kingdom of God is truly alive.

Even as we repeat again and again the Our Father prayer with the words “Thy kingdom come”, let us make it alive in our life through actions that promotes peace, love, joy and righteousness – the values of the kingdom. In other words, let us not wait for the kingdom of God to come. Let us live our life in it because it has already come. By doing so, we make heaven on earth.