o say, can you see?
“You cannot tell by careful watching when the reign of God will come.” —Luke 17:20
We need eyes of faith to see the kingdom of God (2 Cor 5:7). We cannot observe the kingdom of God with natural eyesight, as Jesus states in today’s Gospel passage (Lk 17:20; see also 1 Cor 2:14-15). In the Sacrament of Baptism, we receive spiritual sight. However, if we do not live out our Baptism, we blind that spiritual sight and dwell “in darkness” (Mt 4:16).
God sent Jesus to be our light (see Jn 1:9). But we must live in His light or we continue to live in darkness (1 Jn 1:6-7). Many of us have loved ones who reject faith and reject the Lord. Yes, some of this is due to rebellion, yet it is also a blindness. A spiritually blind person cannot see where he is going spiritually; it is all darkness to him. He or she literally cannot see the kingdom of God, as Jesus says (Lk 17:20).
Jesus says to us, His disciples: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Jesus has sent us to our loved ones to be light for them. They cannot see the kingdom of God, but they can see us. We are beacons by which they can begin to see God’s kingdom.
The third luminous mystery of the Rosary is “The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the Call to Repentance.” The Word of God has power to lead to salvation (Rm 1:16). Jesus, the Living Word (Heb 4:12), came to open the eyes of the blind (Lk 4:18). Proclaim the sight-giving Word of God. Live a kingdom-lifestyle. Be a light shining in the darkness (Jn 5:35) to light the way to the Kingdom of God.
Prayer: Father, shine so brightly through me that many will find their way to You.
Promise: “The Lord sets captives free; the Lord gives sight to the blind.” —Ps 146:7-8
Praise: When Beth decided to give God the first hour of the day in prayer, the rest of her day fell into godly order.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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