Feast of St Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr.

"Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus 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.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17: 20 - 21).

Thursday 12th November 2020, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is also the feast of St Josaphat. (1580 - 1623). Bishop and Martyr. Born in Poland, ministered and martyred in Ukraine. Josaphat spent his life working for the reconciliation and unity of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. He paid the supreme price for this with his life.

The Kingdom of God is among you.
What does this mean to you?
What is the Kingdom?
Where is the Kingdom?
Why the Kingdom?
How does the Kingdom operate?
Any signs of the Kingdom here and now?

One fact is absolutely certain:  Jesus spent most of His preaching and teaching ministry talking about the Kingdom. Even after His Resurrection, Acts 1 informs us that Jesus continued to speak about the Kingdom. How do we address the questions above on the identity and operations of the Kingdom?

The Kingdom is the King Jesus. Where the King is, there is His Kingdom. The Kingdom has certain similarities with earthly kingdoms. But the differences are striking.
The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in hearts and minds of people who believe in Jesus and have committed to allow Jesus to reign in their hearts and minds. The Kingdom of Mexico for example comprise all the people who live in the geographical area that is recognized as Mexico. They obey the laws of Mexico whether they like it or not. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Mexico have officers and structures for their operations. That is where the similarities end.

The Kingdom of God is worldwide. It is eternal and indestructible. Some days ago, we saw the destruction of the Roman Empire, the mightiest in history. The Kingdom of God launched by Jesus Christ in the course of His earthly ministry would be wrapped up in His Second glorious Coming.

What does all this mean to you here and now? There are two types of people: those who are aware only of the earthly, material and fleshy kingdom. Others who belong to the the Kingdom of God whose seed is the Church. St Josaphat spent his life building up the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth which we can see and touch.

May we be inspired by the example of St Josaphat.

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