The Kingdom of God
This is perhaps the most mysterious term we find in the Gospel: the kingdom of God. Jesus, when asked by Pilate if he was king, confessed that he was, but his kingdom was not of this world (cf. Jn. 17:36). Elsewhere he said to the Pharisees: "The kingdom of God is among you" (cf. Lk 17:21). It is definitely about some spiritual reality that, although it has not yet reached its fullness, is already being realized somehow.
In the Old Testament, God's kingdom meant God's dominion over human reality, especially over the Chosen People. The first system the Jews had was theocracy - the rule of God. God ruled over the Israelites and communicated His decisions to them with the help of His elect, like Moses or later the Judges. As the monarchy developed and the Israelites fell into trouble and even slavery, the idea of the Messiah was born as the one who would restore the Kingdom of Israel, understood today as a powerful welfare state.
Jesus Christ linked his activity with the realization of the kingdom of God, but he understood it no longer politically, but spiritually. It was in him that God's absolute rule was fulfilled. In turn, through the paschal mystery, Jesus freed people from the power of the kingdom of Satan. Miracles, healings, and resurrections were signs that confirmed the coming of the kingdom. The mission of Jesus in building the kingdom of God is continued after Pentecost by the Apostles. For example, Philip, who evangelized in Samaria, "taught the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ" (cf. Acts 8:12), and St. Paul in synagogues, "argued about the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 19: 8).
So how do we define God's kingdom? What is it? Certainly, it is a great mystery, since, according to Jesus' words, not everyone understands it. It cannot be compared to any known kingdom on earth, it has nothing to do with power, politics, and worldliness. And the mysteries of the kingdom can be understood by simple people, that is, simple people with a humble heart, who feel that they are children of God. Nor is the kingdom of God to be equated with the Church, which is "the seed and beginning of this kingdom" (CCC 567). It is therefore best to define the kingdom of God as the exclusive and universal reign of God, His Word and His Spirit in the entire sphere of creation. The condition for entering the kingdom is to accept the word of Jesus (cf. CCC 543, Lumen Gentium 5). My Christian life is an absolute surrender of everything to God, it is choosing Jesus as the Lord of my life, it is accepting the Word of God and His Power so that it may be fulfilled in me and in my life. By surrendering everything to God, accepting His reign over me and my life, I allow the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.
The theme of the Kingdom of God has attracted me invariably for years. It was the content of the Lord Jesus' preaching. We read that "He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease among the people" (cf. Mt 4:23). We also read about this Kingdom in Paul's letters: “The kingdom of God is not a matter of what is eaten and drunk, but it is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and appreciated by men” (cf. Rom 14: 17-18). The Greek text reads: dikaiosynē kai eirēnē kai chara en hagios pneuma. Justice understood as a state of holiness to which God has called and calls us, which is given to us as a grace, not something that we work out for ourselves. Peace, which is a gift of the Spirit and, at the same time, a way of life, because a Christian should always, as far as possible, strive for forgiveness and reconciliation. Joy in the Holy Spirit is also a gift. Everyone who has experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may have had the opportunity to see how much joy it brings with itself.
Because the kingdom of God is inseparable from the action of God's Spirit. Without him, it is empty, devoid of power, and yet we know that "the kingdom of God is manifested not in word, but in power" (cf. 1 Cor 4: 2). The Greek word dynamis - this is the power that Paul writes about. Power and strength from God, miracle-working power in His name. Whenever He appeared, Jesus spoke of the coming of the Kingdom.
I miss such Christianity. I miss a powerful Christianity, a faith that changes reality, that changes hearts visibly and irrevocably. This was the case at the beginning, and it seems that the Holy Spirit is leading the Church anew towards those roots. We live in an amazing time! Our eyes will see much more. The Holy Spirit is just getting started.
Let anyone who can understand to understand. And let this word come true for us!
Until Tomorrow
fr. george