An October Reflection By Ralph Iskaros

The kingdom of God, or kingdom of heaven, is mentioned over a hundred times in the New
Testament. What is it? It is not a place on a map you can pin. It is not a destination you can
travel to. It’s not a place you can see or reach.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote a brief reflection, excerpt: “The “Good News” which Jesus proclaims is summed up in this sentence: “The Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4: 17; Mk 1: 15). What do these words mean? They do not of course refer to an earthly region marked out in space and time, but rather to an announcement that it is God who reigns, that God is Lord and that his lordship is present and actual, it is being realized. The newness of Christ’s message, therefore, is that God made himself close in him and now reigns in our midst, as the miracles and healings that he works demonstrate. The Kingdom of God is therefore life that asserts itself over death, the light of truth that dispels the darkness of ignorance and lies.”

When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus told them that
it is not something that can be observed or announced. He said: “the kingdom of God is
among you.” (Luke 17:21). Biblical scholars point out that the Greek preposition translated
as among can also be translated as within. In the light of other statements in Luke’s gospel
about the presence of the kingdom (see Luke 10:9, 10:11; and 11:20). Bishop Robert Barron
calls it the place where divinity and humanity meet, the knitting together of divinity and
humanity.

Jesus’ incarnation bringing salvation to us ushered in this meeting of divinity and humanity.
When we have a relationship with God, when He dwells in us, and we are united with Him,
the kingdom of God is within and around us. We are first joined in God’s kingdom and reign
when we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism and become members of God’s church. As we
grow, we are called to nurture and cultivate His kingdom. We do this when we pray, when
we fast, when we do good, when we speak truths, and when we serve. We build up the
kingdom of God in the world and within our hearts.

In the parable of the Wedding Feast, a king prepares a grand wedding feast for his son and sends out his messengers to call the invited guests to the feast. However, those invited ignore or mistreat the messengers and refuse to come to the feast. If God is inviting us, why do we resist accepting this invitation? Why do we ignore the invitation and turn away? We as people were made to be in communion with God but somehow, we resist what we were made for! We feel that our jobs, responsibilities, hobbies and activities should take centerstage in our lives because they give us meaning and fulfillment. What if we push them aside and make God the center of our life? What peace will that bring us?

Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.