The Pharisees are anxious to know when the Kingdom will come?

" The kingdom of god is within you."

Ｏur own faith should be deep and that the kingdom of God has taken its roots profoundly in our lives.

 

St. Margaret of Scotland, queen/ St. Gertrude the Great, virgin

 ＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

Wisdom of Solomon 7:22b-8:1

In her is a spirit

That is intelligent, saintly, unique, manifold, subtle, active, concise, pure and lucid. It cannot corrupt, loves what is good and nothing can restrain it; it is beneficent, loving humankind, steadfast, dependable, calm though almighty. It sees everything and penetrates all spirits, however intelligent, subtle and pure they may be.\

 

Wisdom, in fact, surpasses in mobility all that moves, and being so pure pervades and permeates all things. 

She is a breath of the power of God, a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; nothing impure can enter her. 

 

She is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of God's action and an image of his goodness.

She is but one, yet Wisdom can do all things and, herself unchanging, she renews all things. She enters holy souls, making them prophets and friends of God, for God loves only those who live with Wisdom. 

 

She is indeed more beautiful than the sun and surpasses all the constellations; she outrivals light, for light gives way to night, but evil cannot prevail against Wisdom. 

Wisdom displays her strength from one end of the earth to the other, ordering all things rightly.

 

Ps 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175 Your word is forever, O Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      Luke 17:20-25

The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was to come. He answered, "The kingdom of God is not like something you can observe and say of it: 'Look, here it is! There it is! See, the kingdom of God is among you."

 

And Jesus said to his disciples, "The time is at hand when you will long to see one of the glorious days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Then people will tell you: 'Look there! Look here!' Do not go with them, do not follow them. As lightning flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will it be with the Son of Man. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

 

"We are called to proclaim the kingdom."

Jesus tells the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is among them. Wherever Jesus is present, the kingdom of God is there. Jesus became flesh to proclaim and usher in the kingdom. Whenever we act to make Christ more present in the world, we help to proclaim the kingdom of God. But what does that kingdom look like?

 

Jesus cautions against those who expect that the kingdom of God will look like earthly kingdoms with their focus on power and glory. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom where all have enough and none have too much, a kingdom where the powerful are humbled and the lowly are raised up.

 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to proclaim the kingdom as well. We proclaim the kingdom each time we act with justice, assuring that the poor and the vulnerable can live with dignity. We proclaim the kingdom each time we act as peacemakers, helping people find forgiveness and reconciliation. We proclaim the kingdom when we show mercy to our brothers and sisters in need. Lord, may your kingdom come.