Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17, 20-25
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,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
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.
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.
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.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
God’s Kingdom
1. Ostentatiously. Nowadays we have the temptation of seeking complex solutions while God shows Himself to be simple. We even look for certain strange spiritualities, with a mixture of oriental ideas or elements of other creeds. When we leave aside the simplicity of the Gospel, the sacraments and charity, we even seek to make studies of constellations and satellites to understand what God wants for our lives. Let’s not complicate what is simple and let’s not seek so much ostentation. Remember Jesus was born humbly in Bethlehem.
2. Among you. It is wonderful to know that God is among us and with us! He never leaves us because we are part of Him. It is great to know that those who are next to me have something of God for me. Think about the woman you love with all your soul; just by seeing her you feel that life is different. Or the man you love; you can appreciate the confidence he gives you to face everything. Or your children that fill you with love and, at the same time, make you worry about your life and theirs; they make you live charity. Or think of the love you feel for your father and/or mother, that gives you strength and confidence when you are afraid. All that is the Kingdom of God, everything around you.
3. The Son of Man. God gives us the certainty that He will always be by our side and guide us along the way. His Kingdom is already here, and Jesus is in you, with you, and for you. It’s like that song attributed to St Patrick that goes, “Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, King of my heart; Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me never to part.”
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
