Reflection
Our heart much more than our intellect, our mind was of concern to Jesus. We say, quite rightly, that actions speak louder than words. Jesus was a man of vision, concerned primarily for the “reign of God”. not as a concept but as a living transforming reality that would bring justice to an oppressive world order, change the way we related with each other, and gentle all of us. He spoke his vision with conviction, and he lived it-healing the sick, the downtrodden and the ostracized of his day. With integrity (not violence), Jesus challenged the domination system of his time.
Barbara Fiand, SND
Prayer
Thy kingdom come on earth.
Action
Consider Jesus’ words and actions. As a committed follower of his, how does your life reflect this? What impact does it have on your own words and actions?
Suggested Reading
For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:21
God sends me to proclaim good news to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, give the blind new sight, break the bonds of those who are persecuted.
Luke 4:18
Evangelization… is not our attempt to conquer the world but the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the kingdom of God.
Pope Leo
The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world… He will be able to give a new meaning to our life… only on the condition that we do not follow the logic of the world and its ‘kings.
Pope Francis
The kingdom of God is a passionate vision of a new way of being, a transformation of human life in both its individual and social aspects.
Marcus Borg
The reign of God involves resisting oppressive systems, protecting ecological habitats, and fostering hope.
Elizabeth Johnson
What we discover in the New Testament, especially in Matthew’s Gospel, is that the Reign of God is a new world order, a new age, a promised hope begun in the teaching and ministry of Jesus—and continued in us.
Richard Rohr
New life is here because the reign of God is here. And the reign of God is here because Jesus is here. Now.
James Martin SJ
The Reign of God is the goal of a healing, evolving world, which Christians are called to guide towards its final, interconnected fulfillment.
Ilia Delio
The kingdom of God is an alternative arrangement of human society around Jesus which leads to human flourishing.
Brian Zahnd
The kingdom of God manifests itself in the modest changes in our attitudes and in the little improvements in our behavior that no one may notice, including ourselves. These are the mighty works of God, not great external accomplishments.
Thomas Keating