The Kingdom of God is Here!

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

[ Matthew 13: 44-52 ]

For three consecutive Sundays, Jesus has been revealing to us the Kingdom of God through a series of parables. The phrase Kingdom of God appears 99 times in the synoptic Gospels; and out of which, 90 occurrences come from the mouth of Jesus.

What is the Kingdom of God? In his book ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explains that,

‘Jesus of Nazareth’ by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

   (1) The Kingdom of God is not a thing or a geographical dominion of worldly kingdom. The Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ Himself. Where Christ is, there is the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is primarily the person of Jesus Christ Himself.

   (2) The Kingdom of God resides in the heart of man. When we surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ our Lord, He comes to reign in our hearts, in our minds, and in our lives. The reign of Christ within us is the Kingdom of God, rising like the leavening yeast and growing like the tiny mustard seed, slowly, silently but surely.

   (3) The Kingdom of God is here and now, present in and through the Church. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. [Mt 18: 20] The Church is the visible face of Jesus in the world today, and the Church is the tangible sign of the Kingdom of God here and now.

And in the Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus tells of the parable of the dragnet [Mt 13: 47-50]: “The Kingdom of God is like a dragnet…”

Jesus is the Fisher of men, drawing all mankind to Himself.

Jesus is the Fisher of men, he casts the net and without discrimination, he draws to Himself everyone: men and women, believers and non-believers, young and old, free and slave, well and unwell, saints and sinners. At the end of the age, Jesus will haul in the net: the good will be taken home, the good-for-nothing will be thrown away into the fiery furnace.

Such is Christ’s mission: to draw all mankind to Himself. [Jn 12: 32] By the virtue of our baptism, Christ mission is our mission. Each and every one of us are the fishers of men, called, chosen and commissioned by our Lord, to bring Him to the world, to make disciples of all nations, and to build the Kingdom of God here and now!

Remember the words of our Lord, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.” [Mt 12: 30] In the Kingdom of God, let no one stand idling all day long and say “no one has hired us”! [Mt 20: 6-7] In the Kingdom of God, everyone has a role, everyone has a responsibility, and everyone shares Christ’s mission.

Let our fervent prayer be:

   “Lord Jesus Christ, empower me to build Your Kingdom here and now.”

Let us also pray that God’s justice, peace, truth and love may prevail in Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.

   [Note: This Gospel reflection was first published on Porta Fidei, Gospel Reflection, 26 Jul 2020.]