What else might the Kingdom of God on earth look like? The next line from Isaiah, read by Jesus in the temple, is "recovery of sight for the blind" (Luke 4:18). This restoration of sight can be spiritual or physical. Either way it is a good thing and helps to bring about the Kingdom. Spiritual sight would mean that people would know God. If all people on earth knew God the world would be a different place. It would be a world of love and mercy, peace and justice. For if we know Christ and have the Spirit of God, then "we have the mind of Christ" as St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 2:16). Being like-minded in Christ is a recurring them for Paul. "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ . . if any fellowship with the Spirit . . . (have) the same love, (be) one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:1-5). For reflection: Do I know God? Do I have the Holy Spirit? To what extent am I spiritually blind? Do I really see other people and their needs? Let us pray. Jesus, I want to be like-minded with you. I want to see people the way you see them. I want to see people's actions and circumstances the way you see them. I want to help bring about the Kingdom of God on earth. Your kingdom come, your will be done.
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What do we mean by the kingdom of God for which we pray in the Lord's Prayer? When we say "your kingdom come" what are we imagining? What does it look like? There are many clues in Scripture as to what the kingdom looks like. One of these is in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus reads from the writings of Isaiah the prophet (61:1-2). Let's look at what one of the proclamations might mean in the kingdom of God on earth - freedom for the prisoners/captives. I don't believe that Jesus simply meant to set prisoners free in order to let them cause havoc or commit crimes. He meant that hearts would be changed to such a degree that there would be no need for prisons. Consider what this would mean around the world just for political prisoners. It means a world where there is political peace and justice for everyone with no need to demonstrate or protest. All people would be treated fairly by the government. There would be no war, no genocide, no torture, no political prisoners. No need for armies or training for war. For reflection: In sports, they teach athletes to envision being faster, envision winning. As Christians, can we envision the earth ruled with peace, justice and fairness? Envision it today. Envision a world with no war, no armies, no genocide, no torture, no political prisoners. Let us pray. Jesus, in order to bring about your kingdom on earth, I need your vision for it. I need the vision of no more war, no injustice. I want to proclaim freedom for prisoners around the world. Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Reflecting on the Lord's Prayer this week (Luke 11:2-4), it is difficult for many of us to imagine what it means to pray "your kingdom come" because we don't have a concept of what God's kingdom on earth might mean. We often think of God's kingdom on earth as "already, but not yet", present in some form but not complete. In fact, on many days when the reality around us gets us down, we think there is no presence of God's kingdom on earth at all. But St. Paul tells us that what we need is faith because "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the proof of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). On those days when we don't see the kingdom of God around us, faith tells us it is there. It is there because Jesus has been here to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on earth and because our prayers - "your kingdom come" - continue to bring it about. In fact, "Faith draws the future into the present, so that it is no longer simply a “not yet”. The fact that this future exists changes the present; the present is touched by the future reality, and thus the things of the future spill over into those of the present and those of the present into those of the future" (Spe Salvi 7). By prayer, faith acts to bring the future about. For reflection: What future reality is my faith bringing about? Let us pray. Jesus, we join with you in prayer, "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come." |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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