A little girl was standing with her grandfather by an old-fashioned open water well. They had just lowered a bucket and had drawn some water to drink. She asked her grandfather, “Where does God live?” The old man picked up the little girl and held her over the open well. “Look down at the water, and tell me what you see.” “I see myself,” the girl said. “That’s where God lives,” said the old man, “He lives in you.”
In today’s gospel, the Pharisees asked Jesus about when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus surprised them with the answer that the Kingdom of God cannot be observed. It’s not “here” or “there,” but “the Kingdom is among you,” that is, within our hearts.
When we talk about the coming of the Kingdom, we need to also address what God is doing for us:
1. God is always at work around us.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with us that is real and personal.
3. God invites us to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
5. God’s invitation for us to work with Him always leads us to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. We must make major adjustments in our life to join God in what He is doing.
7. We come to know God by experiences as we obey Him and as He accomplishes His work through us.
So the Kingdom of God begins from within and transforms our hearts to be like God, and a people who know the power of His love, mercy and forgiveness. The Lord is present in His word, in His body the Church, and in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus reveals Himself in so many ways to those who seek Him with the eyes of faith.
