Gospel: Luke 17:20-25

 

Today’s Gospel gives us the discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees on the coming of the Kingdom. The Gospel today and that of the following days deal with the coming of the end of time.

 

The Pharisees thought that the Kingdom could come only after people would have reached the perfect observance of the Law of God. For them, the coming of the Kingdom would be the reward from God for the good behavior of the people, and the Messiah would have come in a very solemn way as a king, to be received by his people. 

 

Jesus says the contrary. The coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed as the coming of an earthly king is observed. For Jesus, the Kingdom of God has already come! It is already among us, independently of our effort or merit.

 

Certainly, in  time of persecution and oppression the poor have the impression that God loses control of history. They feel lost, without a horizon and without any hope of liberation. In those moments of apparent absence of God, in the Bible prophecy assumes the form of apocalypse. Having the eyes of faith which Jesus communicates, the poor can perceive that the Kingdom is already among them, like lightening, without any doubt. The coming of the Kingdom brings with it its own evidence and does not depend on the forecast or prediction of others.

 

But always the same warning: the Cross, scandal for the Jews and foolishness for the Greek, but for us the expression of the wisdom and the power of God . The path toward the glory passes through the Cross. The life of Jesus is our Canon. It is the canonical norm for all of us.