The Kingdom is Near

Gospel: Luke 21: 29-33

We are tired of hearing about the coming of this kingdom.  For two thousand years we keep hearing that it is coming, that it is here, and it never comes.  That's because we have interpreted it wrongly all this time.  We continually imagine it to be an external worldly kingdom, and it is not.  It is a kingdom that exists within the heart of every person, one built for each one of us by God.  

That is why Jesus says that we should not fear, that the kingdom is near.  It is near - it is in our midst, it is within each one of us now as we speak.   This kingdom is already built; it only has to be realized within each one of us, to be shown to others by the deeds we perform - deeds of love and mercy, care and compassion.  

Each and every human being is created in the image and likeness of God.  Each person is another Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit.  There is no person for which these statements are not true.  The kingdom exists within each person.  We have only to realize it and to manifest its existence to others by deeds of loving kindness and mercy.  Awaiting an external kingdom will forever disappoint us; cultivating the kingdom within and sharing it with others is forever satisfying.