The Kingdom of God is a humble seed that grows in greatness by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ homily today at Casa Santa Marta.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Pope Francis reflected on today’s Gospel from St. Luke, which recounted Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ questions on the coming of the Kingdom of God.
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you,” Jesus says in the Gospel.
“A spectacle! The Lord never says that the Kingdom of God is a spectacle,” the Pope noted. “It is a celebration! But that is different. Certainly it is a beautiful celebration. A great celebration. And Heaven will be a celebration, but not a spectacle. However, our human weakness prefers the spectacle.”
The Pope said that the Kingdom will show its power at the end of time at the coming of Christ. However, he also said that the Kingdom of God also manifests itself in ordinary life.
“When one thinks of the perseverance of many Christians, who struggle to raise their family – men, women – who care for children, care for grandparents and arrive at the end of the month with only half a euro, but who pray,” he said,
“There is the Kingdom of God, hidden, in the holiness of daily life, everyday holiness. Because the Kingdom of God is not far from us, it is near! This is one of its features: it is close to us everyday.”
Concluding his homily, the Pope reflected on Jesus’ words that before the coming of the Kingdom, the Son of Man “must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” Pope Francis said that like a seed, the Kingdom is humble yet “becomes great by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“It is up to us to to let it grow in us, without boasting about it,” he said. “Let the Spirit come, change our soul and carry us forward in silence, in peace, in tranquility, in closeness to God, to others, in worship of God, without spectacle.”
