Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
“The coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed…”
This reply of Jesus to the Pharisees’ question about when the Kingdom of God is coming reminds us of the very human desire we have to know what’s going to happen. In the case of the Pharisees the question occurs against the background of the Roman occupation of the country. In our case, it comes from the desire to know how things will turn out, in our personal lives and in our world. This is an understandable itch in the human condition!
But the Lord of glory, who has entered history to redeem it, does not satisfy this desire as a matter of our curiosity. Rather, we are invited to enter the mystery, the unfolding, of the Reign of God.
This is an invitation to enter our depths, our hearts. Here we choose or refuse the advances of God. The heart is the place of the drama of being a human being in the real world in contrast to the ideal world we would like.
Mother Church sacramentalizes this mystery in the Holy Eucharist. There we are invited to be ‘taken in’ and do the hard work of waiting for the mystery to be unfolded. The Christian is one who waits!
This waiting, this trusting, this life, needs accompaniment. That is why we listen to the stories of the Scriptures and the lives of the Saints – to get an idea of how others lived God’s advance into their lives.
“The coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed…” No, but that does not mean that it cannot be received. Like learning our hearts, the spiritual life is largely learning how God is working in our lives and patiently waiting upon his action.
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections