Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 13, 2014 - Thursday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Phlm 7-20 and Luke 17:20-25]"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, for no one will announce, 'Look, her it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." [Luke]
NOVEMBER 13 ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI
History teaches us that great kingdoms come and go. We can see the ruins of those kingdoms in any issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC or on the history channel on TV! In Jesus' time, the Roman empire was the dominant political and cultural reality. But Palestine had been ruled by the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Greeks before the Romans came in! If Jesus was preaching the "Kingdom of God," the Pharisees and others wanted to know when he was going to take charge! What they did not understand is that Jesus, by becoming human and living in our midst, had already taken charge!
Jesus' kingdom is not "pie in the sky by and by." It is a present reality and it is present in every baptized person. Jesus is God's definitive statement of the kingdom and we are all its representatives! The great pyramids of Egypt had to be rediscovered beneath layers of desert sand. This will not happen to Jesus' kingdom! As long as we have faith in him and live that faith to the best of our ability in the midst of the many challenges of our world and our culture, the Kingdom will be alive in the midst of humanity! Stand tall! You are the kingdom! AMEN