Can You Visualize the Kingdom?

~~~ Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr ~~~

~~~ Wisdom 7:22B–8:1 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 17:20-25 ~~~

“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.”

Being human, we would all like to have some early announcement
of the coming of the Kingdom of God.

You would probably like to do a little advance planning...
some Spring cleaning perhaps.

Of course, God does not operate that way.
He does not post information on Twitter and Facebook
about His Kingdom.

Instead God tells up to see the Kingdom all around.
The Kingdom of God resides within each one of you.

You were created out of the nothingness
that is also the substance of heaven.
You cannot see the Kingdom of God, but you
can be a witness to it.

If the Kingdom of God is among us
 then we all are part of it.

Why do you search for something that
already includes you?

The Pharisees were standing face to face with Jesus
yet they were asking him for signs of the Kingdom.

The Pharisees could not imagine a Kingdom
 that did not exist in the physical world.

They along with many others in the time of Jesus
were expecting some sort of palace to be built in the Kingdom.

They wanted to make sure they did not miss it.
After all they were part of the ruling class.

They were interested in collecting
the taxes on this 'Kingdom'.

They were appointed to oversee the prescribed
functions of such a Kingdom.

Consequently they were confused by Jesus
 suggesting that the Kingdom was already present.

The Kingdom is not something far off in the distance...
It is here now just as it was the day Jesus spoke those words.

Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion,
and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God
and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty

The Pharisees were missing this vital component in their heart...

They were missing wisdom.
Wisdom comes from God.
Wisdom... the ability to discern or judge
 what is true, right, or lasting; insight.

Godly wisdom is deep within your soul.
Godly wisdom points you toward the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is all around us.
Seek the his Godly Wisdom
so that you will be able to see more clearly.

Walk humbly with God.
 He will reveal to you the wonders of his Kingdom
 here within and around you.

God always Blesses those who seek his wisdom.
Blessings for a closer relationship.
It is through a closer relationship with Jesus
that your eyes will be opened.
Once your eyes are opened
you will be able to visualize the Kingdom
all around you.

~~~Peace~~~

Precious Morsels

~~~ Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin ~~~

~~~ Philemon 7-20 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Luke 17:20-25 ~~~

“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.”

What is this Kingdom of God?

It cannot be seen...its arrival will not be published 

on the cover of a popular magazine.

No one is going to post it on Facebook.

It will not be advertised on Twitter in X number of words.

Is the Kingdom of God the Garden of Eden?

In which case it has already come and gone

 and we personally have missed it.

If this Kingdom is not a place then it must be a person;

the person of Jesus himself.

Jesus is the Kingdom of God, but this is difficult to grasp.

Saint Paul was able to tap into this Kingdom of God

 even from his prison cell.

His letter today was to Philemon.

Philemon had a slave, Onesimus, who was in prison with Paul.

Paul writes of this slave as if he were his own son.

Paul has grown to love Onesimus.

Paul's love is now being passed on to Philemon.

I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,

whose father I have become in my imprisonment...

Paul brought this slave, who seemingly was of no value,

into his understanding of the Kingdom of God.

Paul, looking upon this slave, saw goodness and he loved him.

Upon his returning to Philemon Paul urges 

him to receive Onesimus back;

but as a new creation...one no longer slave...

one who is free.

This is exactly what God did for us when 

he sent Jesus down to us.

Jesus claims to be a slave...God sends

 the love whom he greatly loves.

I am sending him, that is, my own heart...

Here Paul echoes the sentiment 

of God the Father toward his Son, Jesus.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus belongs with the Father.

They are one in the same.

God sends Jesus from the Kingdom

 to be the Kingdom among us.

The Kingdom must be realized first from 

within our own heart.

If we do not find the love within 

then we will completely miss the Kingdom of God.

Every time we act from a place of love

we activate the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is indeed among us;

flip the switch...activate your heart.

If you cannot represent the Kingdom of God before others

 then you are doomed to a life of 

wandering and searching.

Until the final day when the Kingdom of God is completely

 revealed we must be content with precious morsels.

Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,

that you might have him back forever...

God has Blessed us with many of these morsels of his Kingdom.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord...

His Kingdom satisfies every hungry heart 

one soul at a time.

Are you one of His precious morsels?

You most certainly are.

~~~Peace~~~

Stop Waiting for Lightning to Strike

 

~~~ Wisdom 7:22b–8:1~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 17:20-25 ~~~

 

'...behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.'

The Kingdom of God was indeed with them; he was standing before them.

The presence of Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into the present.

The Kingdom of God was among them because Jesus was with them.

 

It really is the same today, except we cannot see Jesus with our human eyes.

Yet we are told that he is with us.

Is not the meaning of Emmanuel, God with us?

 

 

We are given flashes of the Kingdom of God everyday.
We are not given a Kingdom report as we are given a weather report.

We cannot pursue these flashes because they are erratic and unpredictable,

just as flashes of lightning in the sky.
We are given his promise to be with us always.
We are given faith to reinforce
our convictions in the presence of the Kingdom of God.

 

Let your countenance shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes. 

 

Wisdom gives us all the tools we need to be strong in our beliefs.
I believe that I do see the goodness if the Lord revealed in our world today.
I believe that I shall see his face when I die. 

I pray that I will have the wisdom needed to be a participant
in manifesting the goodness of the Lord. 

 

If I can be Christ to just one person today it will be blessing enough.
 

 I invite you to read the words given to us
 in the book of Wisdom today.
Wis 7:22b–8:1

In Wisdom is a spirit
intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits...

 

So much to reflect on from just these few verses.
God is with us now.

The Numbers Increase

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

~~Isaiah 66:10-14c~~Psalm 66~~Galatians 6:14-18 ~~Luke 10:1-12, 17-20~~

 

'The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest...'

 

We typically see this verse used in reference to a plea for more vocations

 to the priesthood and religious life.

However, we too are the laborers in the vineyard.

We are being urged to go out into the field;

we too can share in the harvest.

There is only one harvest necessary to be reaped,

one that spreads the gospel of love.

 

Recently I played a game where you must match

the puzzle pieces with the model.

If you try to use the wrong piece

it is rejected and sent to the bottom on the screen.

 

Jesus is sending out his seventy-two on a pilgrimage of peace.

 

Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.

 

When people of peace come together 'puzzle' pieces match.

The peace remains with both persons...

the visitor and the residents.

 

 

Evangelization is growing...Jesus is planting his seeds...

his teachings are being spread by others.

 

‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’

 

There is no time to waste.

If you reach out to someone and they reject your offer; move on.

Leave the area behind, hold on to nothing.

Give credit to God for the good which you are able to accomplish in the field.

 

Finally there is one reason to remain joyful.

 

'...rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'

 

If you answer the call of the Lord to go out into the field and harvest

 your name is recorded by the Lord.

On a lighter side what fun it would be to actually see your name

written above in the blue sky. 

How great the blessings for those whose names have been recorded by God in heaven. 

 Go out to all of the world and spread the good news!

Peace Within...Only From Him

 

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:19-28 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ John 14:27-31a ~~~

 

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”

 

If we consider the many hardships of just the Blessed Mother Mary

and Joseph before Jesus was even born we see they had hardships.

It seems that if you want to be associated with Jesus

 expect to have a few challenges along the way.
Their joy was quickly tempered by their fleeing from a demented ruler.
How could anyone feel threatened by an infant?
Time after time those who follow Jesus are faced
with ridicule and false accusations.
It takes strong faith and conviction to face death for what you believe,
but we have many martyrs in the early church who did just that...
they gave their life to enter into the Kingdom of God. 

 

'...they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.'

 

 Our faith is built up by hearing the faith stories of others.
The more we hear the more likely we are to also believe.
We can see the enthusiasm of our peers...
those like us, and we too become inspired to a deeper faith.
 

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

Do not be afraid to share your story of how God has worked in your life.
What may seem as insignificant to us may be just what someone else needs to hear.
Every time we share our story it serves as a reminder to ourselves.
A reminder of how God is alive and real.
How he is with us, present now in our life.
He always has been and he always will be...until the end of the ages.

In our world today it can be challenging to think of peace.
There seems to be more than enough reasons for us to doubt
the possibility of ever living in a peaceful world again.

It only takes a few minutes of watching the news
before we realize what a violent world we live in today.
We must be vigilant of our personal safety at all times.
And yet there is no way to protect oneself from senseless violence.

Jesus does give us peace, but as he says it is not the peace our world can give.
We must look for the peace from God within our soul.
This is where we will find the peace from him.
This interior peace, when cultivated, can calm us as
we live in this world of ours.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

 

 If you are living life to the best of your ability,
 the manner in which God has commanded,
 then you have no reason to have troubled hearts strangled with fear.

Many times in scripture we hear Jesus say...
be not afraid it is I.
Perhaps we should focus more intently on his peace on a regular basis.
Whenever I feel afraid I picture my guardian angel
enveloping me in his/her wings of protection.

The Peace from God is another Blessing of Easter
that we can meditate on today.
Look for ways to bring more peace into your life;
it is good for your soul.

God Works Where You are Lacking

~~~ Ephesians 5: 21-33 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Luke 13: 18-21 ~~~

 

The power of God is such that he transforms even the smallest

most insignificant things to proclaim his greatness.

"What is the Kingdom of God like?"

 

The kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed

and handful of dough.

 

The mustard seed is planted in the ground.

Each day it grows some until it is a mature bush. 

It must be fully grown before the birds come to nest in its branches.

The branches must be able to support the weight of the birds.

 

The birds, surprisingly, were attracted to this lowly bush

made into something great by God.

So it is with us.

Even though we may think that we have nothing to offer God in return

for what he has done for us...we are wrong.

God takes the small the lowly and makes of them what he desires.

 

The mustard seed grew as it was destined to do.

The mustard seed grew into a large bush

as many before it had grown.

So it can be for us.

If you look carefully in the Bible God routinely uses someone

or something insignificant to make a point.

 

Most of the prophets had not previously made themselves well known.

God equipped them to accomplish great things in his name.

Jesus used common everyday things like water and wine to perform

his miracles.

He took only a few loaves and fishes to feed a large

crowd of five thousand.

Nothing is too small or insignificant for God.

The greatness of God has the ability to enlarge whatever

he chooses to use for himself.

 

 Never believe that what you are lacking makes you
less likely to be used by God...
nothing could be farther from the truth.

For wherever you are lacking in your life is just
where the Lord will make up the deficit.

If you are willing to open your mind,
heart, soul, and body to be used by God for his greater glory;
be prepared to be amazed at what he will do.
Be in awe as to how he will use you to
bring forth his kingdom here and now.

Always remember...
all things are possible when God is leading the way.
Whether you are a single mustard seed or
a handful of dough you a destined to be great
in the eyes of the Lord...
for he is with you and in you.