The Kingdom: Already Here But Not Fully Yet

HOMILY: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 5:1-12

29 January 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

Do you know persons who do not drink water? They will only eat if they have a very cold soda at hand? However, when they are already very thirsty, they can also consume a ton of cold water. Water, mind you is what truly refreshes the body and quenches a thirst. Everything else is filled with either sugar, flavouring or additives that make you even thirstier. How easily we are distracted from the things that are best for us. We only recognise them when we are in dire straits or left with no options. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives five long discourses that envision a life He proposes to all His followers. Matthew presents Jesus as the new Moses leading the chosen ones out of what enslaves them into redemption. These five long discourses are seen to match the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) that embody the Jewish Law. Just as the Pentateuch encapsulates the Jewish way of life, the Sermon on the Mount presents the ideal life Jesus offers His followers.  There are two things I would like us to consider today. First, “To whom has the Kingdom been promised?” Second, “When will we experience God’s Kingdom?”

“To whom has the kingdom been promised?” In the Beatitudes, Jesus assures the poor in spirit, the bereaved, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty for righteousness, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted that they will possess the Kingdom of Heaven and its manifestations.  They are promises of a brighter tomorrow. What about those who are satisfied in life, those who are laughing now, those who have complete families and those who do not experience humiliation, and persecution? Are they not part of the promised future? Of course, they are! However, it is more difficult for them because their state and experiences in life prevent them from noticing the signs of the Kingdom or desiring the Kingdom enough to seek it. They are likely to be tempted into believing that they have it all and have achieved it all on their own; thus, they can keep it that way even if they seemingly will take it all for granted and not be as vigilant as they should be. Those who are used to drinking juice, soda drinks, iced tea, milk tea and alcohol, probably will not be happy with just ordinary water… even though water gives the most health benefit to the human body. The Kingdom of Heaven is a promise of better things for all, but we have to choose to want it for ourselves. It is those who suffer in this life desperately seeking relief from their present woes who will find respite and salvation in God’s Kingdom. 

“When will we truly experience God’s Kingdom?” Jesus tells us that this beautiful scenario of a just society all comes together in the Kingdom of Heaven. The future tense in Jesus’ statements emphasises aspects of the very distant reality — which we can only grasp in fullness if we get to Heaven. I quote… “You WILL be …comforted… You WILL inherit the land… You WILL be satisfied, etc.” Everything is in the future tense. This explains why we vaguely perceive ‘the Kingdom of Heaven’ in terms of its future fulfilment.  We think of it as something that we all have yet to experience. Accordingly, heaven can only be reached if a person is already dead. We can only enjoy the fullness of the Kingdom of God in the next life because the world we live in is imperfect and is surrounded by the effects of sin. The imperfections of the world are borne of the sins of human beings. As long as we succumb to the weaknesses of our human nature, we are likely to sin and the consequence of our sin makes life difficult for us and others. 

Does this mean that the poor in spirit, the hungry, the weeping, the persecuted etc, will never catch a break in this life? (Hindi naman.) If we look at the Scriptures, there are instances where Jesus explicitly speaks of God’s reign as already in our midst, in the here and now. Jesus tells the Pharisees: “For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17:21) Are we already confused? Yes, the fullness of the God’s Kingdom will only be realised in the next life, but Jesus Christ has given us a foretaste of this Kingdom. It is our duty as followers of Jesus to share what we have received from God.  Our society still has a long way to go in making this Kingdom of Heaven a reality. There is still so much injustice in the world. Many are wanting of the basic necessities while others can afford to be extravagant and wasteful. This is why we, as God’s people, have so much to do to build up the world we live in and help make it a place of truth, love, compassion, justice, freedom and peace.

So, what did we learn today? That we must… drink water! The Kingdom of God is real because Christ has proven it to us with His words and deeds. And as Christ’s disciples, we have the responsibility to make others feel the beauty and serenity we ​​hope to have with God the Father in His Kingdom.

May God make us true disciples every time we pray “Thy Kingdom Come!” so we can do our part in helping others experience God’s Kingdom and share in the hope that one day we shall all rejoice and be glad in the presence of the Lord.