Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 13, 2008 - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
[Philemon 7-20 and Luke 17:20-25]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.
Last weekend I traveled to the Washington, D.C. area to assist at the wedding of two former Tulane parishioners. Of course it was the weekend after the election and on every corner there was speculation about who was "in" and who was "out" and how the "transition" would go. The inauguration of the President and Vice-president is a highly observable event and the date is fixed by law. Once it occurs, there is a new regime - a new kingdom if you will - and there is already rampant speculation about what President-elect Obama will or will not do. The Kingdom of God is not subject to such things. Jesus says that it is already among us! Yet, we know that many have turned their eyes elsewhere. Any "kingdom" that does not come with entertainment and hoopla is not going to capture the highly fickle consumerist attention! In the time when the Gospel of Luke was written, the new disciples had to learn that the Kingdom is not something outside them but existed in the shared faith of all believers. The "inauguration" of the Kingdom of God takes place whenever the reality of that kingdom is grasped in faith by someone. Our daily lives and good example are powerful preachings. The Kingdom of God requires faithful people for its appearance. It may not be a dramatic beginning, but it lasts a lot longer than a new administration in Washington, D.C.! AMEN