On Sunday we celebrated the great feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Church year. Pope Pius XI established this feast in 1925 to counteract the growing secularism and ultra-nationalism. Times haven’t changed much, have they? This feast reminds us that temporal rulers come and go, but Jesus reigns forever. Moreover, he is king of the universe. It’s up to us to promote the Kingdom of God.
What Is the Kingdom of God?
The expression Kingdom of God is mentioned often in the Bible. It is mysterious: This kingdom is in our midst and still to come, here and not yet. Essentially this kingdom is not a place, but the spiritual reign of God where he is obeyed. As Jesus told Pilate, it is not “of the world” like a territorial kingdom. It was present in the person of Jesus. Therefore, John the Baptist and Jesus declared the kingdom was “at hand.”
Jesus taught us to pray “thy kingdom come” in the Our Father. He told parables to teach what the kingdom was like: a fine pearl or a treasure found buried in a field, both worth trading everything for; yeast kneaded into dough; a tiny seed that becomes a large bush. Still, the idea of this kingdom is hard to grasp.
The Kingdom Now
Gerald Darring of St. Louis University’s Center for Liturgy clarified the concept of the Kingdom of God in a beautiful way that I could understand:
“The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy.
The Kingdom of God is a time. It happens whenever someone feeds a hungry person, or shelters a homeless person, or shows care to a neglected person. It happens whenever we overturn an unjust law, or correct an injustice, or avert a war. It happens whenever people join in the struggle to overcome poverty, to erase ignorance, to pass on the Faith.
The Kingdom of God is in the past (in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth); it is in the present (in the work of the Church and in the efforts of many others to create a world of goodness and justice); it is in the future (reaching its completion in the age to come).
The Kingdom of God is a condition. Its symptoms are love, justice, and peace…”
The Need for the Kingdom of God Here and Now
Essentially this is how we continue Christ’s work of building the kingdom. In these days when there is strife and division in the world, our Church, our country, and families, we yearn for God’s kingdom. How fervently we must pray “thy kingdom come”! and do our part to make it a reality.
You may also long to have God’s Kingdom established in your heart. We pray, “Come, Prince of Peace.”
Inspiring Emails
I found the above explanation of the Kingdom of God in an email that appears in my inbox every day. Each post opens with the Gospel of the day. Then there is a reflection on the Gospel along with a related piece of art. The posts are the work of Patrick van der Vorst, a Roman Catholic priest for the Diocese of Westminster, London, and a former Director of Sotheby’s London.
Go to https://christian.art/ to subscribe to this feature. It will enrich your faith and teach you interesting things about art—all forms of it and from all times.
Kingdom of God Songs
My community’s version of “Christus Vincit” that we sang each year on the Feast of Christ the King appears at the end of this post: https://kathleenglavich.org/4099-2/ It is a glorious, powerful hymn with stunning harmony.
The following peaceful Taize song is meant to be repeated over and over:
• A kingdom person has the characteristics of a member of God’s kingdom. Who is a kingdom person you know? What qualities does he or she have that makes you think so?
• Is there another site you would recommend for a daily inspiration boost?
• What can you do to usher in Christ’s reign?
