Christianity, unlike any other religion in the world, begins with catastrophe and defeat. Sunshine religions and psychological inspirations collapse in calamity and wither in adversity. But the Life of the Founder of Christianity, having begun with the Cross, ends with the empty tomb and victory.” - Archbishop Fulton J Sheen
(Gospel Text: LK 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."
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."
Centuries ago, people tried to predict the Second Coming of Christ based on things like the occurrence of certain famines and plagues or the positions of the stars and planets. More recently, we have seen similar predictions, some going so far as to announce specific dates—only to be proved wrong.
With all the horrible things we see and read about in the news, many are looking to the sky to see if Jesus will soon be coming down again to earth. What few people seem to realize is heaven can be found deep inside us right now. It is in the microcosm of each one's heart where we must find Jesus way before we will be ready to greet him face to face. If we want to be allowed into the Kingdom on that last day, we must let the Kingdom get inside us, right now.
There is a reason to rejoice because there is hope! Keep faithful and vigilant, even in times of despair, because God loves us infinitely. We are never alone.
Through the worst, God often brings the best.
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