Memory of the Church

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 17,20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, he gave them this answer, 'The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, "Look, it is here! Look, it is there!" For look, the kingdom of God is among you.' He said to the disciples, 'A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man and will not see it. They will say to you, "Look, it is there!" or, "Look, it is here!" Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of man when his Day comes. But first he is destined to suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus inaugurates the kingdom of God on earth, but not in "with things that can be observed", i.e. not in an impressive, spectacular form. No one, in fact, can say "There it is" or "Look here it is", since it is of a spiritual, inner nature. Jesus is the 'new time' of salvation. The kingdom of heaven, i.e. the kingdom where love and mercy 'reign', begins precisely with the coming of the Son of God to earth: his healing action and his preaching fight evil that loses more and more ground until the final defeat that comes through his death and resurrection. This is why Jesus can say that the kingdom of God "is among you," that is, among those who hear and put his word into practice. Participation in the kingdom, in this dream of liberating the world from the power of the devil and evil, also involves suffering and pain, starting with Jesus himself. This is the meaning of the words Jesus said: "the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force" (Mt 11:12). In short, there is an unceasing struggle between good and evil. Jesus radically defeated evil, which nevertheless continues to have as its tail twitches. In those days - Jesus says addressing directly to the disciples and no longer to the Pharisees - when the trial will be hard, the disciples will want to see "even one of the days of the Son of Man," that is, to have some consolation. And there will be none. That is not why they should leave the Master to follow the false idols appearing on the scene. They must not look "there" or "here" for the Messiah. Jesus remains the only Lord and he alone they must follow. The Gospel remains steadfast, it is like the "lightening that flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other;" its proclamation in fact pierces the darkness of the world and reveals Jesus' face.