Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 13, 2025 - Thursday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 7:22b—8:1 and Luke 17:20-25]In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unpampered, beneficent, kindly.....[Wisdom] 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 ism' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the KIngdom of God is among you." [Luke]
NOVEMBER 13 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CABRINI
One of the principal charges brought against Jesus in front of Pilate was that he was advocating a "kingdom" that would replace the Roman Empire. The Pharisees' question was a trap to get Jesus to make such a statement. But the "kingdom" that Jesus brought (and still brings) is one that transcends political structures and powers, although the latter may display the "kingdom." In our own land, I'm not sure that the standards of many of our current political policies and actions would meet those of the KIngdom of God, as manifested in the Sermon on the Mount [Matt. 5-7] or the parable of the Final Judgment [Matt. 25:31-45]. The institutions of our own Catholic Church have also failed from time to time in this regard.
The Kingdom of God is found in the faith, hope and love we show and the protection we offer for all life and human dignity. It is found in the Wisdom that is praised in today's first scripture. Mother Francis Cabrini personified the kingdom by her work among immigrants. The Kingdom of God is not an event or an institution. It is, nonetheless, very real and incarnate in faithful Christians. "For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you!" It is an everyday challenge. AMEN