32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Meditation: Luke 17:20-25

The Kingdom of God is among you. (Luke 17:21)

Jesus makes a stunning claim in today’s Gospel: he says that he has brought God’s heavenly kingdom to earth. This was hard to believe—even scandalous! For generations, God’s people had waited for the Messiah. They longed for the day when he would overthrow their enemies and establish his reign. Many expected his kingdom to arrive through power and force; others expected it to come through political manipulation. Very few imagined it would come through the meekness and humility that Jesus preached. And so, disappointed and hardened by their unmet expectations, many doubted him.

Our own experience may be similar. We believe that Jesus has conquered sin and death, yet we still see suffering and darkness in the world. We believe that the Church is “the seed and beginning of [Christ’s] kingdom” (CCC 567), and we assume that it ought to be a perfect oasis from pain and suffering. Instead, even within the Church people fall short, which only adds to our disappointment. Like the Jewish people, we doubt that Jesus’ kingdom is truly “among” us when it doesn’t look like what we think it should.

So just how does a meek and humble rabbi overcome the powers of darkness and bring a kingdom of goodness and light? This is the paradox of the gospel. God’s kingdom enters the world in smallness, as a helpless infant. He brings victory through sacrifice and exaltation through humiliation.

Part of our problem, as it was in Jesus’ day, is that our timing is off. We want to see the kingdom in all its fullness—now. If we aren’t careful, these expectations can lead us to become embittered. Our hearts can grow hard, and we can miss the signs of the kingdom right before our eyes.

It’s not easy to let go of our own expectations. But it is possible. Begin today! Don’t let your heart get hardened by frustration or disappointment. As you live in the “in-between,” keep your eyes open to how Jesus is working. Rather than growing disenchanted by what God’s kingdom isn’t, you can embrace the beauty of what it already is.

Ask Jesus to help you believe: behold, the kingdom of God is among you!

“Jesus, I trust that your kingdom is here, right now. Give me eyes to see it!”

Philemon 7-20
Psalm 146:7-10