Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 12 Nov 2026
XXXII Week in Ordinary Time
Phlm 7-20; Lk 17:20-25
Responding to the Kingdom of God
“The Kingdom of God is unseen, eagerly awaited, and sometimes rejected by people.”
Today’s Gospel is Jesus’ response to the question of the Pharisees: “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replies: “The Kingdom of God is among you.”
What does the expression “Kingdom of God” mean? First, it refers to Jesus Himself, because the Kingdom is centred on Him. Second, it refers to the teaching and mighty works of Jesus. Third, it refers to the new kind of community formed by His disciples.
Earlier, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom through images such as the mustard seed and the yeast. Today, He shows us how people respond to the Kingdom.
First, the Kingdom of God is unseen.
The image of yeast already teaches us this. Its work is hidden. In the same way, the action of the Kingdom may not always be visible. People may fail to notice it or may simply ignore it. This is one possible response to the Kingdom.
Second, the Kingdom of God is eagerly awaited.
Those who are weak or oppressed in religious, social, political, or economic life often long for the Kingdom. They wait for it because the coming of the Kingdom means freedom, dignity, justice, and new life. This is another response.
Third, the Kingdom of God can be rejected.
Jesus says that the Son of Man must first suffer and be rejected by this generation. The Kingdom brings equality, inner freedom, human dignity, and fraternity. These values can disturb those who benefit from inequality, control, or division. Therefore, some reject the Kingdom.
The Kingdom is one and the same, but people respond to it differently depending on where they stand.
Why do we sometimes ignore or reject the Kingdom?
We may ignore it because the challenges it gives us are uncomfortable. The Kingdom asks us to change, to forgive, to treat others with dignity, to let go of control, and to live according to God’s values.
Then why do we still long for it?
This is the struggle within us. On the one hand, we may resist the demands of the Kingdom. On the other hand, our deepest needs keep turning us towards it. The difficulties we experience, both spiritually and materially, make us long for God’s justice, peace, and presence.
What is the lesson for us today?
Today we often hear the expression “Kingdom leadership.” If God is my King, then I am His son or daughter. In that sense, I live with the dignity of a prince or princess. Therefore, my words, actions, and thoughts must reflect the dignity, nobility, and values of the King.
Such leadership also recognises that every other person has the same dignity.
Kingdom leadership moves in three directions. First, upward: I unite myself with God. Second, inward: I examine myself and allow myself to grow. Third, outward: I bear fruit in my relationships with others.
If we practise this kind of Kingdom leadership in our personal and community life, we will begin to recognise that the Kingdom of God is truly at work among us.
In today’s first reading, Paul writes to Philemon and asks him to receive Onesimus, who had been a slave, no longer merely as a slave but as a brother in Christ. This can be seen as a small social revolution. It is also a good example of Kingdom leadership.
A person who is united with God must also move towards others and build communion with them. We should not judge a person only by his background or past. We must learn to receive him according to who he has become now in Christ.
The Kingdom of God is among us whenever dignity replaces discrimination, fraternity replaces distance, and love becomes stronger than status.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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