Reflection for Sunday November 23, Solemnity of Christ the King; Matthew 25:31-46

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

(Jesus said to his disciples) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me. Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs? He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

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Reflection:

A politician wanted to be the king of his town. So he said to himself: I need all the money that I could have so that I could use it for my campaign this coming election. To hasten his plan he aligned himself with the rich and rub elbows with them with the end in mind that they would contribute to his election campaign.

While planning for his campaign strategy his wife asked him, what are you going to do with the poor who comprise the majority of this town? The ambitious politician said to his wife, don’t worry I will pretend that I am one with them so that I could use them and have their votes.

Today is the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King! What is the difference of Jesus kingship to this ambitious politician? The divergence between Jesus’ kingship and the kingship of this ambitious politician and ours too is like heaven and earth.

Our mindset of kingship is one that dabbles in lavishness and one that craves for respect and adulation. The kingship of Jesus dwells in humility, simplicity and service. Our mindset of kingship is to use the poor to serve our selfish ends the kingship of Jesus is to serve the poor without any ulterior motives whatsoever. The earthly kingship that many of us and our politicians aspire for is a total contradiction with the Kingship of Jesus.  

Come to think of it, what if we all align our understanding of kingship with the kingship of Jesus? The world that we are presently in would become a much better place to live. There would be no greed and corruption in government most especially there would be equality and no discrimination. There would be no more hunger because the poor would be properly taken care of but this is like wishing for the moon right now.

Each and everyone of us has his/her little kingdoms to administer. Say for example if you’re a parent or a bread winner, your kingdom is your home. If you’re a priest your kingdom is your parish, if you’re a politician your kingdom is your town.

Do you use the humble and selfless Kingship of Jesus in managing and leading your little kingdom? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 22, Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr; Luke 20:27-40

Gospel: Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

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Reflection:

Why are we striving to live a life worthy in the eyes of God? This is for the reason that we believe in the resurrection. We believe that after our walk in this world is already over we would be raised once again to a new life that is very much different from our present life right now.

The Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection put in-front of Jesus a situation about a woman who married one after the other seven brothers. Their question for Jesus was to whom would the woman belong after all of them dies? Would she belong to brother number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7? They’ve asked this question to prove to everyone that there is no resurrection. Otherwise if there is a resurrection then there would be a dilemma for the woman and the seven brothers who married her.

But Jesus incisively answered the Sadducees that life in the resurrection is very much different from their present lives. During the resurrected life there would be no more marriage, no more death for everyone will be like angels according to Jesus.

We must all aspire for this resurrected life that Jesus mentions to us in the gospel. We start by living a life founded in our close relationship with Jesus. A life that is clean and righteous before the eyes of God and men.   

Is your present lifestyle worthy of resurrection in heaven with Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday November 21, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Luke 19:45-48

Gospel: Luke 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

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Reflection:

Today is the memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was said that when the Blessed Virgin Mary was around three years old. She was brought to the temple as an offering to God by her parents Anna and Joachim. This was to fulfill a promise made by the couple to God when they were still childless.

There was an article that I’ve read about a confession of a young man who went through a medical procedure called sex change. From male he became female, after a few months of going though the procedure this young man was already full of regrets. 

According to him he was being deeply bothered by his conscience and he felt that something was wrong with the function of his body. I can’t remember if he died but there was something very unfortunate that happened to him after going through that procedure. 

Are we aware that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Are we aware that Jesus is deeply saddened when we try to alter the physical composition of our body? Today with the help of science we could make ourselves appear younger. We can even make our bodies a walking expression of who we are by tattooing it.

Is this right? Of course not for God created our bodies to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is the reason why it does not deserve to be disrespected by the modernity of science and by our own wild imagination disguised as self-expression. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday November 20, Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 19:41-44

Gospel: Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

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Reflection:

Why is it that some people are so peaceful and not worried about life even if the environment around them is worrisome? The reason behind is they’ve learned to surrender everything to Jesus. They listen to Jesus by way of their active prayer life and they’ve let Jesus take control of their lives and not them taking control.

When Jesus was nearing Jerusalem He was very sad and He wept for its people because they did not listen to God’s call of repentance (Through the prophets). They purposely blinded themselves to the reality of repentance, why? Because they love to sin and they liked what this sinful world offered them, they never cared to be concerned of the punishing outcome of their sinfulness.

Jesus loves us so dearly that He wants all of us to listen to Him. So that we could be spared of the dreadful punishment that is due to those who do not care to listen to Him. He also weep for  us everytime we sin, everytime we don’t to listen to Him.

When everything is said and done and we are already suffering for the reason of our sinfulness we have nobody to blame but ourselves. However, why let this very harsh event called punishment come to us? When we could actually avoid it by means of opening our hearts to the love and mercy of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday November 19, Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 19:11-28

Gospel: Luke 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten. But they said to him,

‘Sir, he has ten gold coins. He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”

After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

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Reflection:

A successful businessman suddenly died, when his soul was about to separate from his body he saw an angel and a devil. He naturally veered away from the devil and he put himself at the side of the angel. When they were about to enter the heavenly gates God was there to ask him this question: What can you say about your life on earth? The man said, I was a successful business man when I was still alive and I did no wrong to anyone.

Then God said that’s very good! But have you done something for my kingdom? The man was not able to answer for he did nothing to help grow the kingdom of God. Then God commanded the angel to bring him to the other side of the fence where the environment was very hot and humid for he did nothing to advance the kingdom of God.   

What is your present preoccupation right now? Are you very busy with the things of this world? Like how to expand your business and how to grow bigger your money and so forth. Many of us are perhaps like this: very earthly and always very busy with earthly things. But if we are all busy with the affairs of this world where would we end-up after our journey in this world is already over and done with? Where would we end-up if we do nothing for the kingdom of God in this world?  

In our gospel for this Wednesday a nobleman gave his servants gold coins so that they could do something to make it grow. Some of them were able to increase its value yet there was one  who simply kept in a handkerchief what was entrusted to him. He did nothing to grow the money entrusted to him by his master.

In our faith life doing nothing is never an option or faith in Jesus that is kept to oneself is never an alternative. We must share this faith that Jesus has entrusted to us in whatever manner possible so that it could grow also.

Are we productive servants of Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday November 18, Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 19:1-10

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

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Reflection:

Was it only Zacchaeus who was seeking an encounter with Jesus? Was Jesus not also seeking an encounter with Zacchaeus?  Yes Jesus was also seeking an encounter with Zacchaeus! Why? For the reason that Zacchaeus was a sinner like all of us. And what made it more interesting for Jesus to seek out Zacchaeus was his desire also to see Jesus.

Before Jesus arrived at Jericho He already had in mind Zacchaeus He knew that this chief tax collector was looking for Him and ready to change his sinful ways. With this factor present the encounter of Jesus and Zacchaeus happened. After their meeting Jesus subsequently went to the house Zacchaeus to purify his house. As well as to liberate Zacchaeus of any form of sinfulness and right then and there his conversion and liberation from any form of sinfulness happened.

How could we relate this gospel episode with our personal lives? Like Zacchaeus we too are sinful we may not be thinking yet of walking away from our sinfulness. Yet Jesus is already knocking at our hearts so that he could also have a personal encounter with us.

If we say that we are not ready yet to walk away from our sinfulness because we enjoy sinning, then when will we be ready? Next month or next year? It may be too late already, nothing is certain with our life anything can happen the next seconds or minutes.

Therefore we must also be like Zacchaeus who responded to the desire of Jesus to meet him. Let us not delay anymore let us rush to meet Jesus now for tomorrow may be late already.

Are you prepared to have a personal encounter with Jesus today? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday November 17, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious; Luke 18:35-43

Gospel: Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

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Reflection:

Who is Jesus to you? Is Jesus the hope and salvation of your life? The blind man in our gospel had his hope and salvation anchored in Jesus. When he heard that Jesus was passing by he shouted with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” His shout comprised his prayer with faith in Jesus.

From a hopeless situation the blind man suddenly found hope and salvation because Jesus passed by him. And Jesus did not disappoint the blind man because He asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Then the blind man said in reply, Please let me see my Lord and immediately he receive his sight and he became a follower of Jesus from thereon.

What separates the blind man from us? It’s his persistent and persevering faith, it’s faith that can move mountains. This is what separates this blind man from us, what if we are in the shoes of the blind man? Would we simply give-up because we were rebuked and sternly told to be silent?    

But this blind man, when he was rebuked and told to be silent the more that he persisted and the more that he cried to Jesus for help.  And because of his persevering and persistent faith he was heard and given the gift of sight by Jesus.

What is it that we want from Jesus? Let us not give-up, let us be persistent and have faith for Jesus will soon hear us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday November 16, Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 25:14-30

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy. Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy. Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back. His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will grow rich but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

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Reflection:

What if the master did not return? There would have been no accounting for the servants most especially the third unproductive servant who was given one talent. But the master returned thus creating a problem for the third servant.

Inaction or status quo is never an option in our faith life or even in our life itself. We have to move we have to take calculated risk and sweat it out otherwise we will not grow and bear fruit in our faith life. The same with our daily existence; if we would just lay idle and not move we will not survive we will die of hunger. 

Because of his laziness and lack of initiative to move the third servant was labeled as useless by his master. He was thrown into the darkness of hell where there was grinding and wailing of teeth. 

By our baptism the Good Lord has entrusted us also with talents and responsibilities according to our abilities. If we are parents we have this inherent responsibility which we must use for us to become good and Godly parents.

In what manner could we become good and Godly parents? We teach our children about our faith for the simple reason that we are the first formators or teachers of our children. The home is also the domestic church or the little church where children are initially introduced to Jesus and formed with values. Parents must also teach children how to live simply because God created us to live simply and not to live complicated and worldly lives.

How else could be become productive talent bearers of the Lord in this world? We have to serve the church in whatever capacity, we have to integrate our faith life with our parish church for us to grow more in our faith life. And of course we also have to teach and live our faith so that through us it could grow further.

Someday there would also be an accounting of the talents or responsibilities that Jesus has entrusted to us. How would we report to the Good Lord? Would we be like the two productive servants or we would be like the third unproductive servant who did nothing and risked nothing. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 15, Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 18:1-8

Gospel: Luke  18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary. For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’ The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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Reflection:

Do we always pray with persistence? Meaning we pray and pray and never lose heart until we have what we’ve been praying for. Jesus in our gospel is teaching us that we must be persistent in prayer. Even if what we’ve been praying seems impossible in our eyes to have for it’s in our prayer/s where the impossible becomes possible.

In our gospel there’s the presence of a heartless judge who feared and respected no one. Yet when he was pestered by the widow for a just decision he gave-in for the simple that the widow never gave-up.

If we are in the shoes of the widow and we know that this judge is impertinent would we still pursue our request for a decision? Or we simply give-up and if possible request for another judge who would be more sympathetic to our plight?   

When we have a prayer request before God we must always have the motivation to humbly request God again and again to grant us what we want to have from Him. Never mind if it will take time before God answers what is important is we never give-up. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday November 14, Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 17:26-37

Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of the end times? Of course we all are, Jesus mentions frightening scenarios in our gospel reading for this Friday. He mentions similar destructive occurrence like in the days of Noah where everyone on the face of the earth were wiped-out except for Noah and his group.

The same destruction happened in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah where the people there became very sinful. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah committed despicable sins such as sexual sins, thus earning the wrath of Yahweh.    

Our own respective end time will come to us; we cannot prevent this from happening for this is the nature of our life. But then again we hold in our hands what kind of end time and life after our end time we would have. If it would be a hellish end time or a heavenly and peaceful  end time. What Jesus mentioned to the disciples is a fair reminder for all of us to straighten our lives.

While we are alive we still have in our hands the luxury of time to leave behind everything that makes and influence us to sin. Let’s seriously reflect on this call of Jesus to repentance, sin has done nothing good to us. It made our lives miserable and if we would not leave it behind us it would further make our lives more miserable.   

Why continue to live a sinful life when Jesus is always offering us His mercy and forgiveness? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday November 13, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini; Luke 17:20-25

Gospel: 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.”

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Reflection:

Could you say that you have the kingdom of God? You already have the kingdom of God in your heart when you are already at peace with yourself. You already have the kingdom of God if you feel the love of Jesus in your heart. You already have the kingdom of God when you have peace and contentment in your heart.

Many of us including our politicians today seek the kingdom of this world. We amass corrupted wealth beyond our imaginations; We amass vast properties to serve as our earthly kingdoms. But this kind kingdom will not last forever, this we will leave behind eventually and we will be left without anything except loneliness and isolation.  

At what price are we willing to pay just to have this earthly kingdom? Are we willing to sell our souls to the devil just to have possession of this earthly kingdom? Let us wake up before it’s too late otherwise our greed for earthly kingdom would become our rope downward to hell.  

In our gospel for this Thursday Jesus was 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 (Luke 17:20-21).

Indeed the kingdom of God is within our midst yet it cannot be physically felt and measured nor could it be bought by any amount of money.  This kingdom of God is planted into our hearts by Jesus Himself.

Do you also want to have the kingdom of God? - Marino J. Dasmarinas