Reflection on Today's Readings, Tuesday of 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, October 26th, 2021
Texts: Romans 8:18-25; Ps. 126:1-6; Luke13:18-21
Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God, today, as a growing phenomenon. Describing the kingdom of God as a growing phenomenon makes it a living and active phenomenon, not static but dynamic in its existence. How does the kingdom of God grow? The kingdom of God grows as the knowledge of God increases. Put differently, the growth of God’s kingdom refers to an increase in awareness of God's presence and dominion.
The kingdom of God could be a state, a person, entity or an activity. Whatever that manifests God's presence and dominion is the kingdom of God. Church is the kingdom of God. Jesus says, "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matt. 18:20). It has grown in awareness of God and itself in history; it has passed through stages and phases in its existence. Just like man, the Church has within itself the forces that make it grow, move from one stage to another. One of these forces is the Word of God. As the Church reads and meditates on the word of God, it grows in understanding of God and itself. As the Church also speaks the word, it grows in numbers and size. The Church also grows through its exprience as it encounters the world. As the world changes, the Church also seeks a better way to relate with the world so as to win it for God.
We are God's kingdom, as a group and individuals. As a group praying, reading God's word, meditating on God's word, preaching the word, gathering in the name of Jesus, we manifests the presence of God and His dominion. As individuals living in obedience to God's will, we manifests the presence of God and His dominion. Being His children we manifests His presence and dominion everywhere we find ourselves, we animate our circumstances, moments, space and time with God's presence. We are not ordinary people in the world but the bearers of God, the heralds of His presence and dominion. Everyday of our lives we need to be conscious of this fact. The kingdom of God grows in us as we increase in understanding and knowledge of God through prayer, reading and meditation on God's word and proclamation of the word.
The word of God is also God's kingdom; it manifests the presence of God and His dominion. It is alive and active (Heb. 4:12). As a living and active entity, it grows. It grows through reading, meditation and proclamation. When we read and meditate on it, we increase in understanding of it. As we grow in understanding of the word, we become more aware of God's presence and dominion. Through proclamation the word continues to spread across the world. The kingdom of God will be fully established on earth when the word has taken root worldwide; for prophet Isaiah says, "They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (11:9). This prophecy of Isaiah looks towards the proclamation of the gospel through which the the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as water covers the sea. As the word of God is proclaimed across the world, the kingdom of God continues to grow in depth and breadth. The proclamation itself is also God's kingdom because it is an activity which manifests the presence of God and His dominion.
St. Paul, in today's first reading, invites us to reason with him, for he seems to be speaking from subjective view as he uses the word, I. He says, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Yesterday's first reading ended with the words, "provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him" (Rom. 8:17). We share from Christ's glory when we are ready to share from His suffering. Today he is telling us that his experience shows that the suffering of this present time is not worth comparing with the future glory. Does my experience prove this? Does your experience prove it? This experience of Paul enabled him surmount all challenges, to endure all sufferings, to strain forward always and to persevere till the end.
St. Paul anchors this experience of his on hope. If we have hope, we shall have the same experience with him. Hope points to a greater thing to come. He says, "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." Without the revelation of greater thing ahead, there will be no hope. Hope is the certainty of greater thing to come.
St. Paul tells us it is the will of God that we live in hope, hope of better things to come. In hope we know that our better side is yet to be realised and so we need to grow always to attain the better side of us. The kingdom of God continues to grow to attain its fullness. The kingdom of God is both a reality and object of hope: it is present in us and among us here and now and its fulness lies in the future. He goes further to tell us that hope is fulfilled in patience; we need patience to bring our hope to fulfilment.
Lord God, grant that we may grow towards You everyday of our lives. Amen
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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