20211111 THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS IN OUR MIDST
11 November, 2021, Thursday, 32nd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading | Wisdom 7:22-8:1 © |
Wisdom is a breath of the power of God
Within Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
active, incisive, unsullied,
lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,
irresistible, beneficent, loving to man,
steadfast, dependable, unperturbed,
almighty, all-surveying,
penetrating all intelligent, pure
and most subtle spirits;
for Wisdom is quicker to move than any motion;
she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things.
She is a breath of the power of God,
pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
hence nothing impure can find a way into her.
She is a reflection of the eternal light,
untarnished mirror of God’s active power,
image of his goodness.
Although alone, she can do all;
herself unchanging, she makes all things new.
In each generation she passes into holy souls,
she makes them friends of God and prophets;
for God loves only the man who lives with Wisdom.
She is indeed more splendid than the sun,
she outshines all the constellations;
compared with light, she takes first place,
for light must yield to night,
but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.
She deploys her strength from one end of the earth to the other,
ordering all things for good.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):89-91,130,135,175 © |
Your word, O Lord, stands for ever.
Your word, O Lord, for ever
stands firm in the heavens:
your truth lasts from age to age,
like the earth you created.
Your word, O Lord, stands for ever.
By your decree it endures to this day;
for all things serve you.
The unfolding of your word gives light
and teaches the simple.
Your word, O Lord, stands for ever.
Let your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Give life to my soul that I may praise you.
Let your decrees give me help.
Your word, O Lord, stands for ever.
Gospel Acclamation | 1P1:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The word of the Lord remains for ever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn15:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 17:20-25 © |
The kingdom of God is among you
Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘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.’
He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS IN OUR MIDST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wis 7:22-8:1; Ps 119:89-91,130,135,175; Lk 17:20-25]
When is the Kingdom of God coming? This is a question that people of faith and without faith ask. The latter asks this question because they do not believe that there is another world or life after this life on earth. Indeed, today, the idea of the Second Coming or the establishment of the Kingdom of God is rejected as an imagination of some unfulfilled desires. This loss of faith in the coming of God’s kingdom has resulted in modern man just living for this world. They have no further goals in life other than this life. As it is often said, why should I be bothered about the next life if there is no life on earth. This explains why today not many people articulate the concept of heaven and hell because the modern man thinks that these are just superstitious beliefs of naïve people.
However, among believers, there is a lot of speculation as to how the kingdom of God is like and the timing of its coming. With regards to the nature of the Kingdom of God, the Church has never defined it except that it is a place of happiness, peace and fullness where justice and love prevail. With regard to its coming, the Church adopts an agnostic approach. Indeed, in the history of the Church, speculations have often been made to the timing of the arrival of the kingdom. It was thought that the coming of God’s kingdom would happen at the point of Jesus’ resurrection, for the apostles thought that Jesus would re-establish the kingdom of David. Then St Paul was expecting his imminent coming, as the early Christians were crying out, “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor 16:22)
But when the Pharisees asked the Lord when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them an evasive answer. He said, “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.” This response of Jesus admits of different interpretations by scholars. What did Jesus mean when He said that the kingdom of God does not come in ways that the Jews were waiting for, namely, through the cosmic signs of upheaval in society?
This apocalyptic view was mentioned by our Lord when He said, “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.” (Lk 21:9-11) Then “there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” (Lk 21:25)
Rather than speculating on the day of the Lord’s coming, Jesus reminded them that the Kingdom of God was already in their midst. By so doing, Jesus was not so much focusing on the futuristic coming of God’s kingdom but His existential coming. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s coming. His very presence in society, manifests the reign of God, through His unconditional love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness and reconciliation. In Him, we see what is true justice and mercy. Through His healing miracles, His power over nature, such as the storms, Jesus was signifying that God reigns on earth again instead of evil. Through His preaching with authority and His works of exorcism, Jesus showed that God reigns on earth. This explains why the Lord told the Pharisees that they did not have to look far but look near because He was in their midst. He said to the disciples, “A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or, ‘Look here!’ Make no move; do not set off in pursuit.” Indeed, instead of looking for spectacular signs seen in the cosmic disorder, we should be more focused on paying attention to the present sign in our Lord Himself. He is the Kingdom of God.
In the first reading, the author gives us a reflection of the Wisdom of God. At this stage of theological development, the language of sameness and yet distinction within God had not yet developed as it would later be for the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the two natures in the one person of Christ. Consequently, wisdom is spoken of as being identified with God, but more of an agent rather than God Himself. “She is a breath of the power of God, pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; hence nothing impure can find a way into her. She is a reflection of the eternal light, untarnished mirror of God’s active power, image of his goodness. Although alone, she can do all; herself unchanging, she makes all things new.”
This wisdom in the New Testament is identified with Christ who is the Word of God in person. In John’s gospel, He is the Logos. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” (Jn 1:1-3) St Paul would speak of Jesus as the agent of creation. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him.” (Col 1:15f) To the Corinthians, St Paul wrote, “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Cor 1:23,24,30)
Clearly, for the Church, Jesus is the embodiment of the Kingdom. This explains why in the early Church, instead of proclaiming the Kingdom of God as Jesus did, we proclaimed Christ. This is because Christ is the Kingdom of God. As St Paul wrote, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Col 1:27f)
But this wisdom of God is seen only through His passion, death and resurrection. St Paul said, “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:23f) The Lord hinted that only through His passion and death, will His glory be revealed, for He said, “as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.” The way to establish the Kingdom of God was through His passion, death and resurrection. In John’s gospel, the Lord said, “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:13-15) The Kingdom is seen in lowliness.
Consequently, for us to welcome the Kingdom of God into our lives, we must put to death the sin in us and live the life of the Kingdom as offered to us. Writing to the Romans, St Paul says, “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Rom 14:17-19) Indeed, we encounter the Kingdom of God when God rules our life here and down. We encounter God’s kingdom through suffering and persecution, as Paul consoled the Christians in Antioch, “There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.'” (Acts 14:22) So let us seek to live the life of the Kingdom by living the life of the Spirit. St Paul said, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” (Gal 5:23-25) We know that we are already having a foretaste of the kingdom life when the Spirit guides us and rules us and when we experience the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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