Daily Scripture Reflection & Prayer: November 14, 2024

Date: Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture Text: Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “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.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

Breaking the text open – background and summary:

In the gospel for today from Luke, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God is both “already and not yet.” The Kingdom is already present to us. It was to those present when Jesus was speaking. The Kingdom was present to them in His healing and His teaching and His very presence.

Meditating on the text with personal questions:

Do I miss the signs of the Kingdom of God at work around me? How aware am I daily that the Kingdom is not just among us but within us?

Praying:

LORD, Father, Son, and Spirit, we praise You. We lift our hearts and voices to You in loving adoration. Open our minds, our hearts, our eyes, our whole beings to your presence and to your power at work around us and within us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.