the kingdom of God - 32nd week thurs 2013

Many times when we think of the kingdom of God what comes to mind is a beautiful, serene and peaceful place, a place quiet repose, a place of beauty and tranquility.  Suffering can never be a characteristic of the kingdom of God.  It cannot be a place of conflict, of devastation, of danger and human misery.  These are characteristics opposed to our concept of the kingdom of God.  But are they really opposite of God’s kingdom?  Can we not find God in human misery, in squalor, in destruction and calamities?

It is always a challenge to see and believe the presence of the kingdom of God in the midst human misery, in the midst of the sufferings of the people in northern Iloilo, or of the people in Tacloban and Samar, in the midst of the suffering of the people in Bohol.  Can we detect the kingdom of God?  Probably, but it is difficult.  It is easier to see God when things are well, but it is never easy when things get tough.  It is difficult to see God in suffering.  We always think of miracles according to our standards – when we are preserved from the onslaught of the wind or the devastating effect of a storm surge - to be preserved, to avoid these, means a miracle.

But if the gospel says the kingdom of God is not a matter of announcing, look it is here, and look it is there and if the gospel says that the kingdom of God is not something observable, then probably this is something that starts hidden in our hearts, and even as something hidden in the muck of suffering and pain.

The kingdom of God begins to grow when something in our hearts is stirred to pity, something in our heart is made to feel mercy and compassion, when something in our hearts urges us to reach out to help.

Precisely it is when people begin to cry where is God, God manifests himself in the hearts of people.  Let us be aware of that too.  The kingdom of God begins as a seed in the hearts of people.