Imagine a world where peace and respectful dialogue reign, where cultural, political, religious and economic divides were nonexistent. If it sounds too good to be true, then clearly Jesus’ proclamation that the Kingdom of God is in our midst will continue to elude us.
“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”’” (Lk 17-20-22).
The meaning of Jesus’ words escaped the people of his time and seemingly baffle many today.
If our understanding of the Kingdom of God is a kind of utopian society or something that we will experience only in the next life, then the reign of God will remain beyond our reach. If when praying “Thy kingdom come” the focus is on changing others rather than on becoming the person I am called to be, then the meaning of Jesus’ words will be little more than wishful thinking.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). The question is: Where do I see God, and what might the Kingdom of God look like here and now?
If we believe that we are made in the image of God, then every person should remind us that there dwells the face of God. Perhaps there is no better example of this in the Gospels than how Jesus looked upon the woman caught in adultery. Her accusers saw only her sins, but Jesus saw her as a daughter of God. Jesus told her to go and sin no more, but only after he came to her defense, causing the self-righteous to turn away in shame.
This is not to suggest that we are to turn a blind eye toward actions that are morally wrong, but that we are to look beyond the sin and see the face of God, because God is present substantially even in the worst sinners or they would cease to exist.
Clearly, it requires more effort to recognize the presence of God in some people more than in others, which is why we often fail. Therefore, when I’m tempted to judge another because I don’t agree with their views, I find it helps to remember the words from a poem written in 1895 by Mary Torrans Lathrap, who wrote:
Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears or stumbled beneath the same load.
There may be tears in his soles that hurt, though hidden away from view.
The burden he bears placed on your back may cause you to stumble and fall too…
If for one hour, you could see through his eyes, instead of through your own muse.
I believe you’d be surprised to see you’ve been blind, narrow minded, and unkind too.
The season of Advent reminds us that a new day is dawning. Advent wreaths and evergreens decorate homes and worship spaces, a sign that a new liturgical season is beginning, and with it comes a renewed sense of hope.
Therefore, to better prepare our hearts to celebrate Christ’s coming at Christmas, we do well to ask: Do I strive to see the goodness in people or am I too busy casting stones to recognize God’s presence in them? Am I concerned more about changing the hearts of others than on having my own heart purified?
Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was among them, but they were unable to see it. In many ways we’re not so different.
Once again, we can look to the humble virgin of Nazareth to show us that God is present in the most unlikely people and places. That means that the Kingdom of God can be found in strife and suffering, in adversity and disappointments, even when we are asked to do the seemingly impossible.
How blessed we are to have Mary, mother of God, as our mother! She was privileged to see the face of God before her. So it is for us. We see that face not as a babe lying in a lowly manger, but as Emmanuel — God with us.
As we journey toward Christmas, may we resolve to make this Advent a time of new beginnings, not only in preparation for the coming of Christ on Christmas, but as a prelude to his coming in glory at the end of time, where the faithful will live with him for all eternity.