The Kingdom of God isn’t a “show” or a “carnival,” it doesn’t like publicity and prefers to grow “hidden,” said Pope Francis during the Mass he celebrated at Santa Marta in the Vatican on November 16, 2017.
Commenting on the Gospel of the day (Luke 17:20-25), the Holy Father noted the “doubt” and the “curiosity” that drives men regarding the “Kingdom of God.” This Kingdom, he explained in his homily reported by Vatican Radio, grows “hidden”, “in humility.”
“Who makes this seed grow, who makes it germinate?” he asked. God, the Holy Spirit, who is within us. And the Holy Spirit is spirit of sweetness, spirit of humility; He is spirit of obedience, spirit of simplicity. It’s He who makes the Kingdom of God grow from within, not from pastoral plans, great things…No, it’s the Spirit, secretly…then the moment arrives and the fruit appears.
The Kingdom of God is always a “surprise,” because “it’s a gift given by the Lord,” continued the Pontiff. “The Kingdom of God doesn’t come in a way to attract attention…It’s not a show or…a carnival…The Kingdom of God doesn’t show itself with sufficiency, pride, it doesn’t like publicity: it’s humble, hidden, and grows thus.”
“We are all called to take this path of the Kingdom of God,” he stressed. “It’s a vocation, it’s a grace, it’s a gift, it’s free, it’s not purchased, it’s a grace that God gives us. And all of us, baptized, have the Holy Spirit within us.”
Pope Francis concluded by inviting to an examination of conscience: “How is my relationship with the Holy Spirit?…Do I believe in Him; do I really believe that the Kingdom of God is in our midst, that it’s hidden, or do I prefer a show?”
The Pontiff wished for Christians the grace to have germinate “in us and in the Church, forcefully, the seed of the Kingdom of God so that it becomes big, so that it gives shelter to numerous persons and bears fruits of holiness.”
JF
