The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God can be described in three facets. First, in its Christological dimension—jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God in his person. The Kingdom of God is present in him: “If it is by the finger of God that [I] drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk 11:20). Jesus inaugurates the sovereignty of God through his incarnation, death, resurrection, and exaltation. Second, in its spiritual dimension—the Kingdom of God is understood as the indwelling of the Spirit of Jesus within the person of every believer with transformed heart and mind or metanoia (Eph 3:16-17). Third, the Kingdom of God continues to be present today in the Church, the mystical Body of Christ.
The Kingdom is already “here and now” realized in the community of Christian believers, but
“not yet” complete until it is made manifest in its fullness in the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22-28; Rv 21-22).
The Kingdom of God began with Christ’s death and resurrection and must be further extended by Christians until it has been brought into perfection by Christ at the end of time. This can be accomplished by discerning how the Holy Spirit is calling one to act in the concrete circumstances of one’s life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2816, 2820).
First Reading • Wis 7:22b—8:1
In wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, allpowerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity. For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness. And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring; and passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over wisdom. Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.
Gospel • 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.”