REFLECTIONS TODAY
The Pharisees looked forward to the coming of the reign of God on earth. To them, it meant the restoration of the glorious kingdom of Israel and taking the power away from the Romans. They thought of an earthly kingdom that would prosper and thrive with God’s blessings.
In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees ask Jesus about the specific time that this kingdom would finally be established on earth. Jesus surprises them with his answer, pointing out to them the folly of looking for signs in anticipation for the coming of God’s Kingdom. Jesus assures them that the Son of Man will indeed come and his coming will be seen by all, “as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other.” Still, this will happen only at the end of the age. But the Kingdom is already at work with Jesus. Jesus’ healing, his exorcism of demons, his pardon of sinners, and his proclamation of the Good News to the poor are signs that “the Kingdom of God is among you.” If the Pharisees are open to Jesus, they will rejoice with the crowd that indeed God’s reign has already come in the person of Jesus.
Gospel • Luke 17:20-25
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.”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.