Today is Nov. 14, Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time.
In Luke 17:20, Jesus is asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come. He responds, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed.”
The Pharisees approached Jesus with an expectation of a kingdom that would arrive with power and political strength. They were looking for external signs, something obvious that would bring about freedom from foreign rule and the establishment of a visible kingdom. But Jesus redirects their vision. The kingdom of God, he explains, is not something that comes with “observation.” Rather, it is a kingdom that begins in the heart, a quiet and often hidden reality that grows through obedience to God’s will.
The traditional Catholic interpretation of this verse understands that the kingdom of God unfolds within us through grace and our cooperation with that grace. The Second Vatican Council says, “To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom” (Lumen Gentium, No. 3). The Church teaches that the kingdom of God is present whenever Christ reigns as king in our lives, guiding our thoughts, words and actions toward love and truth. It begins as “a seed” in each soul, a seed that we nurture through prayer, the sacraments and acts of charity.
Jesus’ words in Luke 17:20 challenge us, then, to seek the Kingdom “within,” allowing God to transform us inwardly. In a Catholic understanding, this is deeply connected to the life of the Church. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are not only signs of God’s kingdom but are also its actual presence among us. Every Mass is a foretaste of the heavenly kingdom, where we encounter Christ and are united in communion with each other and with him.
As Catholics, we are called to become vessels of this hidden kingdom, to embody its presence in the world. Through our compassion and our faith, we reveal the kingdom of God to others, showing that it is indeed “within” and “among” us. May we always build up the Kingdom in our hearts, sharing the light of Christ with a world so in need of his quiet, transforming power.
Today, let’s pray that the kingdom of God reigns more brilliantly in our hearts:
Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity, so that, unhindered in mind and body alike, we may pursue in freedom of heart the things that are yours. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
My Daily Visitor spiritual reflections are a dose of daily Catholic inspiration from Our Sunday Visitor magazine.
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