"Recall how you had been wrested from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom of God (Col 1:13). Through the sacrament of baptism you were made a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away such a dweller by your wicked actions and subject yourself again to servitude under the devil, because your price is the very blood of Christ, because he will judge you in truth who has redeemed you in mercy." (St Leo the Great).
"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.”
" Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
"There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.
"But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17: 20 - 25).
Thursday 10th November 2022 of the 32nd Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of a giant of our faith: St Leo the Great. (+ 461). Pope. Italian. Doctor of the Church.
Leo was from a Roman aristocratic family. He was the first of three popes in the history of the Church to be called "the Great."
Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in Church history." Leo is remembered in history for many things. Here are the two things that stand out:
#1 Leo put his stamp on the authoritative definition of who Jesus Christ is: Jesus Christ is true God (100%) and true Man (100%).
#2 In 452, Pope Leo confronted Attila the Hun and persuaded the conqueror of the whole of the Italian Peninsula from sacking and torching Rome, the capital of the Roman empire.
"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.”
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 these questions about the identity and operations of the Kingdom?
"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?
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. For example: The Kingdom of Belgium comprises all the people who live in the geographical area that is recognized as Belgium. They obey the laws of Belgium. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Belgium have officers and structures for their operations. That is where the similarities end.
The Kingdom of God is worldwide. It is eternal and indestructible. The mighty Roman Empire and many kingdoms of the world have been destroyed. The Kingdom of God launched by Jesus Christ in the course of His earthly ministry will never be destroyed. God will never allow the powers of hell to wipe out the Church. The Church will be there at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
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 physical kingdom. Others who belong to the the Kingdom of God whose seed is the Church. St Leo the Great spent his life building up the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth which we can see and touch.
Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com
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