If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is the kingdom of God in our midst.
Read chapter 17 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here.
What is the kingdom of God? Let’s start with what it’s not: an earthly kingdom, a worldly power. Most Jews of Jesus’ time expected the Messiah to be a new King David, who would defeat the enemies of Israel in battle and restore the nation to its former glory. But earthly kingdoms are won only on the battlefield and for that reason are invariably fleeting. The kingdom of God is eternal. It is not won with the weapons of war but through a spiritual battle. The weapons of this battle are faith, hope, and love.
The king is Jesus. When He says, “The kingdom of God is in your midst,” He is identifying Himself as the king.
The disciples of Jesus came to recognize Him as the king. They didn’t fully understand what kind of king Jesus is until after His death and resurrection. But they stayed with Him during His ministry even when they didn’t fully understand what He was saying to them.
The scribes and Pharisees, on the other hand, rejected Jesus. The kingdom of God was in their midst, and they could not see it. It wasn’t what they were expecting. What were they expecting? Trumpets and fanfare? A sign in the heavens? It’s a little funny (and more than a little sad) that the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign that they may believe. Jesus performs miracles left and right in the gospels. What is the one sign that the Pharisees are seeking that will lead to their conversion? Why do they reject the miracles they have seen?
And what does this passage mean for us? If the kingdom of God is present when Jesus is in our midst, is the kingdom far away? Has Jesus abandoned us? Of course He has not. Jesus is present – body and blood, soul and divinity – in every tabernacle in every Catholic church in the world. When we step into church, we step into the kingdom of God. When the priest raises the host at the consecration, we are looking at Jesus – not in His glory, veiled by the host, but we are looking at Jesus just the same. In fact we are looking at Jesus at His most humble, even more humble than in the manager at Bethlehem (the house of bread). When we consume the Blessed Sacrament, the kingdom of God dwells within us. Do we recognize this? Do we keep Him within our hearts as we go about our day? Do we let His presence within us vivify us? Do we share His love, His joy, and His peace with those around us?
The disciples put their trust in Jesus, even whey did not fully understand. They came to know Him as the king of heaven and earth. They were called to the Lord’s Supper and received His Precious Body and Blood. We can recognize Him like the disciples and let Him transform our hearts. Or we can be like the Pharisees, not seeing what is right before our eyes, rejecting the kingdom of God.
Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16th Century Carmelite nun living in Spain, had an exemplary prayer life, and wrote extensively about prayer. In her book The Way of Perfection, she describes recollection as one of the essential elements of prayer. Recollection is a deep awareness of who God is and who you are when you pray. Recollection entails proper reverence and awe when speaking with your Creator, but also gratitude that the Father gives us His Son to dwell among us and within us. Here are some of Saint Teresa’s counsels to her fellow sisters about recognizing the kingdom of God in their midst:
“Represent the Lord himself as close to you and behold how lovingly and humble he is teaching you. Believe me, you should remain with so good a friend as long as you can. If you grow accustomed to having him present at your side, and he sees that you do so with love and that you go about striving to please him, you will not be able – as they say – to get away from him; he will never fail you; he will help you in all your trials; you will find him everywhere. Do you think it’s some small matter to have a friend like this at your side?… If we humbly ask for his friendship, he will not deny it to us.”
“I’m not asking you to do anything more than to look at him. For who can keep you from turning the eyes of your soul toward this Lord, even if you do so just for a moment if you can’t do more? You can look at very ugly things; won’t you be able to look at the most beautiful thing imaginable? Well now, my daughters, your Spouse never takes his eyes off you. He has suffered your committing a thousand ugly offenses and abominations against him, and this suffering wasn’t enough for him to cease looking at you… In the measure you desire him, you will find him.”
“If I had understood as I do now that in this little palace of my soul dwelt so great a King, I would not have left him alone so often. I would have remained with him at times and striven more so as not be so unclean… Since he loves us he adapts himself to our size.”
Image: The Last Supper by Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret (downloaded from Wikipedia Commons).
Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the salvation of souls.
