Posted on 11/25/2022 7:48:19 AM PST by fidelis
(Daily readings from the USCCB)
“…know that the Kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:31b
We pray for this every time we pray the “Our Father” prayer. We pray that “Thy Kingdom come.” Do you mean it when you pray that?
In this Gospel passage Jesus states that the Kingdom of God is near. It is near, yet so often it is also very far away. It is near in a twofold sense. First, it is near in that Jesus will be returning in all His splendor and glory and make all things new. Thus, His permanent Kingdom will come to be established.
Second, His Kingdom is near in that it is only a prayer away. Jesus longs to come to establish His Kingdom within our hearts, if we only let Him in. Unfortunately, we often do not let Him in. We often keep Him at a distance and go back and forth in our minds and hearts as to whether or not we will fully enter into His holy and perfect will. We are so often hesitant to fully embrace Him and to allow His Kingdom to be established within us.
Do you realize how near His Kingdom is? Do you realize it is only a prayer and an act of your will away? Jesus is able to come to us and take over our lives if we but let Him. He is the all-powerful King who is able to transform us into a new creation. He is able to bring perfect peace and harmony to our soul. He is able to do great and beautiful things within our hearts. We only have to say the word, and mean it, and He will come.
Reflect, today, upon the desire of the heart of Jesus to come to you and establish His Kingdom in your life. He longs to be your Ruler and King and to govern your soul in perfect harmony and love. Let Him come and establish His Kingdom within you.
Lord, I invite You to come and take possession of my soul. I choose You as my Lord and my God. I give up control of my life and freely choose You as my God and divine King. Jesus, I trust in You.
Please keep in mind that this is a Catholic Caucus/Devotional thread for the purpose of prayerful reflection on the Sacred Scriptures and is closed to debate of any kind. Per FR policy on Religion Caucus threads, off-topic, argumentative, and abusive comments are not allowed and will be submitted to the Mods for deletion. Thanks, and God bless you.
Have you seen Father Stu starring Mark Wahlberg?
It’s a true story. This is what IMDb says about it: “Follows the life of Father Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption.”
I have heard a lot about it but have not seen it. I'm not much of a movie watcher, I'm afraid. :)
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