“The Kingdom of God is among us”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke Jesus is asked when will the Kingdom of God come upon the earth?…..Jesus’s answer is interesting…."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”……….One day, and no one knows that day - Jesus will return….If however a person is to tell you that they know exactly when Jesus is coming back - Turn away from that person - Because no one knows the day of Christ's return - Just know this - One day he will return - Rest easy in that thought….In the mean time, we should focus on the words of Jesus today……..”For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you”…..Why are these words important? - One because they are true, but secondly most people miss this…..The peace of Christ is not only real but is available for everyone NOW!…..Jesus meets us as we are…And then by and through grace…Bit by bit…He changes us…..The world can not give us this peace…No matter who you are…No matter how gifted…..And the devil knows - So he “plays with your head”…….He tells you lies…..”You are not good enough”……”I can’t say what I did out loud”…….”I can never change”…….”God can never forgive me”….All this and more….Are lies!!!…So tell the devil to “beat it”……Recall the words of Jesus once again today in the Gospel…..”The Kingdom of God is among you”…..We are one Sacramental Confession way….God is real - His grace is real…..Change is possible.

“I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord: whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit”

Being Catholic cuts across all nationalities and socio-economic class structures….If you ever go to daily Mass in a big city, like New York, Chicago or San Francisco you will see exactly what I mean…..Siting next to you could be an Investment Banker and the pew behind you may be the lady who cleans the Investment Banker's office…But in the Mass, we are all the same - Children of God……When I worked as an auditor, I traveled for 13 years…..One of the most amazing places, which also has a very large population of Catholics is Rio de Janeiro……In that city, the very rich and the very poor live side by side….What do these very different groups of people have in common? - Two things - Their Catholic faith and the beach….And in both those places, the rich and the poor sit shoulder to shoulder and side by side…..This is a foretaste of heaven……Our Lord brings all his children together and where there is unity, there lies the Kingdom of God……..The closer we grow in our relationship with God, the more the differences between groups and people become inconsequential……However, if you are looking for “heaven on earth” - That is never going to happen….But while we are all journeying toward our true home, which is heaven……And we allow God’s grace to “burn away” all the “stuff” that gets in the way of our own personal peace, as well as the obstacles for unity…..We in turn create something that the world believes to be impossible…..A people with one heart - one mind - and one spirit….This is only possible with and through God……Over the years of volunteering with Mother Teresa’s sisters, I have met some amazing people…..The sisters have a way of “bridging the gap” between the rich and the poor….I traveled to India for six years in a row during Advent before I was married…..As the word “got around” about my trips to Kolkata, people from all walks of life would sometimes reach out to me, through word of mouth, asking if I could take something over to India for the sisters or even travel with me to Kolkata..…One year, I got an email, believe it or not from the sister of the President of a Central American country - I can’t remember which country it was at the moment…..She asked for my mailing address and asked me to bring Sister Nirmal (Sister Nirmal was the sister who took over the Missionaries of Charity as the Superior General after Mother Teresa died) a book……When I got the email, I laughed to myself how such a person would be reaching out to me - Of all people - Me! - The son of a barber from New Jersey!…..This is an example of how being Catholic is universal and how Jesus brings people together from all walks of life…And when people come together - All different kinds of people - “The Kingdom of God is among us”.

“Let your countenance shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes”

Today Jesus in the Gospel is asked a question people have been asking for 2000 years - When is the Kingdom of God going to come?…The answer - Who knows!….Just know this - Jesus will one day come back - How do we know? - He said so….."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”….....In the mean time, the closer we grow to God, the more and more we will find as the Irish say….”A very thin place”….....What is meant by that old saying?…......A “thin place” means that the veil between heaven and earth becomes “thin” and when that veil is thin, we experience peace and deep joy......…We also experience unity in that “thin place”……Nothing on earth can accomplish this outside of God’s grace……So we must strive to create a “thin place”…......Where God’s presence is tangible and felt by all…..This is possible and this is how we know - “The Kingdom of God is among us”……….JMJ

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