The Realm of God Among Us

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Bible Study classes are always more interactive at this time of year as the Church reviews much of the apocalyptic literature of the Scriptures. The Gospel reading for today's liturgy lends testimony to the fact that questions regarding life in God's realm have always been and always will be uppermost in the minds of people who believe in God and the gift of eternal life. Any journalist who would be covering this "story" would ask the traditional reporting questions: "Who, what, where, when, why and how?" Today's Gospel reading places the "When?" question in the mouths of the Pharisees. Jesus' answer mirrors one of his earliest pronouncements: "The Kingdom of God is among you."

That pronouncement actually answers two of the questions: "When?", "Now!" and "Where?", "Here!" Put quite simply, one does not have to look far to discover God's realm. God's presence is not simply one of majesty in splendor in some remote court surrounded by angelic courtiers. God is present wherever faith is present. God acts whenever we act out of our faith. Who would have expected God in a stable, at table with sinners, washing dirty feet, hanging on a cross? Yet God was in all these places. If living in God's realm is our goal, our lives must lend testimony to the presence of God in the here and now, in the ordinary tasks of daily life, in the many opportunities that come our way to practice the evangelical virtues.

The reading from the Book of Wisdom uses many beautiful adjectives to describe Wisdom. It is obvious that the writer has sat in a contemplative state and considered the beauty of God and the attributes that are part of God. This is the transcendent nature of God. At the same time that God is transcendent, God is also immanent. It is the nature of our faith to perceive both, and it is the moral imperative of our faith to act on both. We cannot simply dwell in the future, in the yet to come. We must remember that God's realm is present now and act accordingly. Then when our time comes, we will find that God's realm simply continues for us. Live now as if it were then.