The Days to Come

The readings during these last weeks of Ordinary Time are preparing us for the season of Advent, the start of our new liturgical year. The year begins with the anticipation of the coming of Jesus, now, and at the end of time. We are anticipating the Feast of the Incarnation, Christmas, when God came to us in the form of the human person, Jesus.

A reflection on today's Gospel (Luke 17:20-25) by Dominican priest Brian Pierce posits that "the Kingdom of God is looking for people who are prepared to cross boundaries, people on fire for justice. [This] urgency to 'get out into the world, to the periphery' is what Jesus' incarnation is all about: it is his passion. If we are not out in the world, smelling like sheep, says Pope Francis, then something is wrong."

"Our final destination is not a "destination" at all; it is a way of life, a way of being; it is what Jesus call the "Reign of God."

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.