You are not far from the kingdom of God.
I always enjoy reading about the Kingdom of God in Scripture. The reason is that most scripture is vague but alludes to something ethereal and pleasant. Jesus says in John 18:36 My kingdom is not of this world. Our Gospel author Mark even starts his Gospel with Mark 1:15 i “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” This in a nutshell is the message of today’s readings. Repent, follow the commandments and the Kingdom of God will be close.
So why is the Kingdom of God so important in scripture. Luke 17: 20-21 Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’j For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”
We experience the Kingdom of God on earth is subtle ways. The song Hosea says,” Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart.” Today’s readings suggest we experience the Kingdom when we repent. This is not the only way. Scripture mentions the Kingdom many times especially in the Gospel of Luke. In additions, we experience the Kingdom when we feed the hungry (Matthew 25:35-45), help immigrants (Exodus 22:20) and anytime we do the will of God on Earth. Our goal is of course the Kingdom of God with Jesus in Heaven. Nonetheless, we are here on Earth for a reason, but that does not mean we can’t experience glimpses before we die. It proves that Jesus is the Son of God, because we are experiencing His Kingdom right now.
These glimpses encourage me. It proves there is the presence of Jesus in my life. I feel what it must have been like with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are worthy to enjoy this because of our Baptism. Original Sin messed that up, but our Baptism allows us to enjoy the Kingdom.
So, today’s message is repent and enjoy the Kingdom of God.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. (Saint Rita) Never deny God! Pray for justice for immigrants! Pray for justice for our President and all government officials! Pray for Immigrants!
