The Kingdom of God

   

    The bible talks about a kingdom. In the Biblos, the word kingdom in Greek is basilica, which means kingdom, authority, kingship, rule, and sovereignty. However, in the Old Testament times, kingdom was referred to the country of Israel. Israel's kingdom was considered to be both man and God ruling over the people, and the entire providence with authority, power, and might. 

     In addition, the Israelites focused on the Davidic dynasty that was based on a covenant with God. Although the Israleites did not have a king from the very beginning, the Israelites could not understand the meaning of the kingdom. For instance, form the time of Moses and during the time of the judges, their only king was God alone, and yet, they wanted to have a man representing them, guiding them, and protecting them against their enemies. Because of this, they rejected not the kingdom of God butt eh protector and king of the Israelites, who was God alone. 

       Saul, who was the first king of Israel, was chosen to lead the people of God. On the other hand, Saul displeased the Lord, so The Lord chose David to guide his people. David was the second King of Israel. He was known to be a man after God's own heart. He had the fear of the Lord, despite his failings and short comings. He ruled Gid's kingdom with authority, might, and justice. As a result, God sworn to him thT his dynasty will last forever. On the contrary, there is a flip side to this side of the story because the kingdom of God is no longer focus in Jerusalem or in a specific place. The kingdom of God has revealed itself differently throughout the entire bible.

      The kingdom of God is no longer focused on a group of people or country; although, their
 is a kingdom in heaven where a community of believers would gather together around the King, who is Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus proclaims the Good News. His news is about repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. He is the Messiah that will liberate his people from the grips of Satan. Now, satan had dominion over the entire human race. No one, not event he holy Patriarchs and Prophets, were able to enter the kingdom of God. Because of this, God desenced into to the place of Sheol to liberate his people from the Old Testament beginning with Adam his first son. 

     As Jesus went through the towns and villages, he proclaimed the kingdom of God being at hand. Here the kingdom of God takes on a new meaning. It is no longer a specific place like the temple or Jerusalem. The kingdom of God is found in the heart of the human person. Christ wants to liberate the person in the heart and help him ascend to the Father through the narrow gate. 

     The kingdom of God is relevant to Jacob's ladder. When Jacob was traveling, he rested his head on a rock and went to sleep. In his dream, he saw a ladder touching earth and heaven. He also saw angels descending and ascending the ladder. Now, the rock where Jacob rested his head signifies Christ. Christ is the foundation and starting point to ascend to heaven; without Christ no one is able to enter the kingdom. The only way to ascend the ladder is by growing in grace and virtue. The ladder is narrow and difficult to climb because it takes a lot of practice to develop virtue and grow in humility. 

       On the first Sunday of advent, the readings were about climbing the mountain of The Lord. However, the overarching theme was about the kingdom of God. The mountain can only be climbed when the person has allowed God to reing in the heart and allow the Good Shepherd to lead the way in faith. In the Old Testament, God spoke from a fiery bush on Mount Sinai. He, God, gave Moses the Ten Commandments and handed them down to his people to follow the way to reach the mountain top. The commandments are directions for the heart to follow and not fall off the ladder as he or she ascends the mountain top. 

      Christ comes as the messiah, and he brings grace and love to help the sinner reach the mountain top. The sinner no longer has to walk the journey alone because Christ will dwell in the heart of the person. For this to happen, the Word of God makes it's dwelling in the heart of man. Jesus comes and makes his dwelling in the human heart through Word and Sacrament. Every time the priest celebrates the sacrament and proclaims the living Word of God, he brings to life the Good News of salvation by allowing the person to have an encounter with the Risen Lord. Let us climb the ladder of virtue and reach the mountaintop where God's reign endures forever. 

The Light of God

         

   In every part of the world there is light illuminating the darkness. In Metropolitan areas, there are lights on the highways, the streets, inside the houses, the parks, and other public areas. The light is needed for the person to travel, to do things, and to work. Without the light, no one would be be able to see clearly. Even though there is no light in some places in the world, people can create light with fire, such as a burning lamp with oil, or using a flash light that will bounce the light to other places. In the bible, the word light appears in many places. From the very beginning of Creation, God needed light to create the cosmos. He said," let there be light." And light became. And He saw that the light was good." Light was necessary, but it was a light that ruled the entire day, which was called daylight. The author of Genesis does not call the light sun or the night moon. Now, the sun is the source of light that illuminates the entire world. The sun can transcend the rays of light to the depths of the earth; in addition, it can produce energy and heat. The analogy of the sun as light can help to understand the application on God being the light of the world. 

                In third century, Tertullian tried to explain the existence of God with the analogy of the sun. His view was external and concrete. Normally, the existence of God would begin with the faith of the believer from within instead of without. Augustine once said that, "late have I love you, Beauty so old and ever ancient and ever new, for you were within and I was without." Tertullian looked upon the sun to explain how God was consider to be the light of the world. Indeed, the sun is the center of the universe, and it is the light of the world; since every living thing depends on the source of the sun. The sun is the Father. The Father, who is unbegotten, is the source of all visible and invisible things. From the Father comes forth all things in creation. He is known to be the creator and center of the entire universe. Jesus thought his disciples that he came into the world to be the light of world in darkness. A light that shines in the darkness. He reveals the plan of father through his death and resurrection. He shows his disciples that God was a loving Father, and that every living thing depended upon Him for existence. Jesus thought something new and different from the rest of the world. He thought that one, who was baptized, was an adopted son of the Father. For this reason, St. Paul states that we can call God--Father, which means Abba, meaning daddy. 

                Tertullian also explained that the light of the sun was inseparable from the sun itself. The rays of the sun is a different identity, but it comes from the same source of the sun. Jesus, who is the begotten Son of the Father, is known to be the rays of the sun. Jesus reveals himself as being the light of the world in John's Gospel; even though, he did not explicitly say that about himself. He said, " I am the light of the world. Anyone that comes to me shall not walk in darkness." Jesus comes from the Father who is the true source of life. His existence is not created nor made but draws his life from the Father's love. He was present from the very beginning of creation and saw everything that the Father created. He rejoiced and played in the presence of his Father's creation. St. Paul says that "all things came into existence through him. He is the image of the invisible God. The first born of all creation." Not that he was created, but that he existed before the Father created the world. Jesus came into the world the same way he came from the Father; begotten not made, one in being with the Father. He came into the womb of a virgin, Mary, the mother of God. She gave birth to the living God, and he became man. Yet, his will was totally united with the Father. The Father never left his side nor abondoned him to death because the rays of the light can never be separated from the sun. He revealed the light to the world by claiming his authority and unity with the Father. This light was the truth from the very beginning. He came to shine light in the darkness where truth was no longer available. 

                Lastly, Tertullian said that the rays produce energy and heat. It is obvious that the rays produce heat, especially when it rains. When the it is a hot and rainy day, one can noticed heat that produces smoke from the ground. Moreover, the rays of sun produces energy for plants to grow, without energy the plants would not be able to produce fruit. Solar panels also require the rays of the sun to produce electricity in houses. For Tertullian, the rays of the sun that produces energy or heat is the action of the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit is not a source of energy; he is a person, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Spirit, who is the third person of the Trinity, is also inseparable from the Father and Son. Just as the energy and the heat are inseparable from the sun, so too is the Holy Spirit inseparable from the source of the Father and the Son. He draws life from both of them. He gives grace and love in the heart of the sinner, and he renews the interior man. 

               Jesus said that if man had the light, he would not stumble nor fall in the darkness. He also said that if the body had the light, he would be able to see in the dark. He said that the eye is the light of the body that shines through the darkness. If man had this light, he would be able to walk in righteousness and in truth. The light is Jesus that the person finds inside of the heart. Jesus shines the light in the dark places of the heart where sin is found. The spirit, then, purifies the sinst that person has committed in order to see the darkness in the world. Once the person has a personal encounter with the risen One, he can walk in the path of righteousness and never stumble because he is united to the source of life, the Father. The spirit brings the penitent to the Father, as he becomes more like the Son by doing His will. Light is produce in the heart when virtue is growing and sacrifice is evident. Virtue is the opposite of sin, and it is necessary to see the darkness of sin to have the eye of the light. The eye see interioly and offers the sin to the Son, who paid a ransom for his sin. Thus, light comes into the person from within and then transcends the person from without by walking in newness of life.