Our Father

FAITH, PRAYER, AND LIFE

3rd EDITION

Emiliano Jiménez Hernández

Electronic version created for non-profit purposes

to be put at the service of the New Evangelization
wanting to get this text to those who have
difficulty in obtaining it in its printed version.

The mystery of faith requires the faithful to believe in it, celebrate it, and live by it in a
vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.
[CEC 2015]

crossgloriversa.org
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Come to us, your kingdom

From the exclamation 'Hallowed be your Name' springs the burning desire: 'Your kingdom come'
"Kingdom". The disciples have experienced in Jesus Christ the emergence of the Kingdom of God over
the earth. Satan has been defeated; the power of the world, sin, and death has been
defeated. The Kingdom of God is still found, however, in the midst of suffering and of
combat. The community of believers still suffers from persecution and temptation. Under the
God's royalty, the Christian finds themselves in a new justice, but with persecutions. May it be
God, may the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth, inaugurated in the Church, grow and spread,
putting an end to the kingdoms of this world and establishing His Kingdom of power and glory!

The Kingdom of God is near

Yahweh is the king of Israel, for he has freed it from the slavery of Egypt. The final choir.
from the song of Miriam, after the crossing of the Red Sea, sings: "Yahweh is king forever
never!
from God to carry out in him the design of salvation for the people and, through him, for all
the peoples and for the entire creation. The salvific will of God, especially from the
Davidic monarchy, expressed by Israel giving God the title of King (Ex 19:6). God has chosen
to Israel as his kingdom.

This salvific perspective of the kingdom of God implied a life of justice and peace in
all its dimensions: large family, healthy and long life, own and prosperous land,
abundant harvests... But, in light of the experiential realization that this longing is not fulfilled

The wise of Israel tried, in their faithfulness to the faith in Yahweh, to provide an answer:
the happiness of the kingdom of God consists in contemplating—seeing, entering into communion—the face of

Lord in your holy temple (Ps 42-43) or in being with the Lord, who will not allow his
servants experience the corruption of death (Psalms 16; 49; 73): the Lord will not forsake in
the death of the just who suffer (Psalms 22; 69), especially of the just who suffer "as servants of the
Sir, offering his life for the realization of God's salvific plan.
(Is 53:11; 57:2; Ps 3:1-9). And finally, in the Maccabean era, the hope in faithfulness of
God led to proclaim the faith in the resurrection of the dead.
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This faith of Israel is based on God's promise, which raises the hope of the
eternal establishment of the kingdom of David, translated into messianic hope: of the
The descendants of David will bring forth a shoot, a king who will establish the completed kingdom of Israel.

This hope of the kingdom of God, of God's sovereignty over the world, is expressed under the
image of the Son of man in Daniel, of the Servant of Yahweh in Isaiah, and of the King-Priest in
Zacharias. Rabbinical tradition knows that God is always Lord of the world, but expects that
God come out of His concealment, openly showing His power. In this tradition appear
the zealots, who seek to accelerate the arrival of this kingdom through political means,
interpreting messianic hope as a political program. Alongside the Zealots appear
other rabbinic currents that believe it is possible to hasten the arrival of redemption,
days of the Messiah, through penance1.

John the Baptist announces the imminence of the Kingdom of God, highlighting the importance of
in those days John the Baptist appeared
preaching in the desert of Judea: 'Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.'
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them: 'O generation of vipers!'

Who has suggested to you to escape from the imminent judgment? Produce fruits worthy of conversion... For
the axe is already laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and

"thrown into the fire" (Mt 3,1-2.7-10). In the face of the imminence of the Kingdom of God, any
justification, how to say 'we are children of Abraham' (Mt 3:9). Only conversion,—the
recognition of sin and acceptance of God's forgiveness—opens the doors of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God becomes present in Jesus. John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah (40:3):
prepare the way of the Lord
Exodus. The time has come to cross the desert to the promised land. Therefore, John
he develops his mission in the desert. His clothing (Mt 3:4) recalls that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), the
prophet precursor of the Day of Yahweh (Mt 3:1,23; Mk 1:2). It is not John who introduces into the
Kingdom, except for the one who prepares his reception (Mark 1:7). His invitation to conversion and to baptism of

purification (Mark 1:4) is intended to avoid 'the coming wrath' (Matthew 3:7), that is, the judgment
eschatological, meaning in the images of the axe and the winnowing fork (Mt 3:10, 12). This judgment is coming,

1
In the Jewish prayer of the Qaddish, it is implored: "May He establish His reign during our lives and in our
days and in the days of all the house of Israel, soon and immediately.
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for "the Kingdom is near" (Mt 3:2).

Christ makes the Kingdom present.

In this tradition of Israel, Jesus and his message of the Kingdom of God are present. He
announces the fulfillment of God's promise: 'The time has been fulfilled. The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). The "Kingdom of God" is the announcement.

the centrality of Jesus' preaching2But, while the preaching of Jesus revolved around
of the Kingdom of God, apostolic preaching focused on the announcement of Jesus Christ. Does it mean
Is this a change, a break between the announcement of Jesus and the announcement of the apostles? Is it not?

it will be rather that the announcement of Jesus Christ, made by the apostles, expresses in a way

What did Jesus announce under the expression Kingdom of God?

Jesus, having become sin for us and entering the waters to be

baptized by John, opens the heavens (Mt 3:16), closed by sin. As soon as he comes out of the
waters, once baptized, God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—shows Himself on earth. The
Father who anoints Jesus, the Anointed One, and the Holy Spirit, the Anointing. The Kingdom of God has come.

to the men. Only the Prince of the world, liar and murderer since the remains to be defeated.
At the beginning. Jesus, anointed with the strength of the Spirit, will go to the desert to fight until

defeat him. Victorious, 'Jesus begins to preach, announcing: 'Repent for the Kingdom
"the kingdom of heaven is near" (Mt 4:17). This is what Jesus proclaims in the synagogue of Nazareth.
The prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled in the today of the presence and action of
Jesus.

After John was imprisoned, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the Good News of God.
The time has come and the Kingdom of God is near; repent and believe in the Good News.
New" (Mark 1:15). "Therefore, Christ, to do the will of the Father, inaugurated on earth the
Kingdom of the heavens" [LG 3] Well, the will of the Father is "to elevate men to the
participation in the divine life" [LG 2] He does so by gathering men around his Son,
Jesus Christ. This meeting is the Church that is on the earth 'the seed and the beginning of this'
Kingdom

2
In the New Testament, the term is used 122 times, of which 99 belong to the Synoptics, who in
They attribute it to Jesus on 90 occasions.
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The hour of fulfillment has sounded. The prophetic announcement.3has reached its fullness:
Today these words that you have just heard have been fulfilled" (Luke 4:16-21). In
Jesus has arrived, the King who brings salvation at the end of times (Ps 17). In his person,
In his words and in his works, the time of fullness has been updated. The Kingdom of God has
arrived already. Although the time of fulfillment is not yet the time of consummation and the
The Kingdom of God in 'glory and power' is still in the preaching of Jesus something future; however,
the 'year of God's grace' has been inaugurated, the advent of the glorious Kingdom of God.
"My Kingdom, says Jesus, is not of this world," it is "the Kingdom of Heaven," but "it is within.
you, in the midst of you.

The Kingdom that Jesus announces is, therefore, a present that already requires conversion.
(Mk 1:15) and not a simple future to be awaited in hope. "The entrance into it
happens through faith and conversion" [CEC 541]. Jesus, presence of God and His Kingdom, demands the
immediate acceptance and, then, vigilance in faith, while awaiting the fullness
manifestation of his power4Christian hope is based on the belief that God has called us to
to have a part in his Kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12) and in that he has already made the power of that present

Reign in the resurrection of Jesus, in the expansion of the Gospel, and in the gifts of the Spirit
Saint (Romans 5:1-5)5This Kingdom "grows by the love with which Christ, raised on the cross, attracts to

"the men to themselves" (cf. John 12:32)6.

Jesus himself, in his person and in his word, is the sign of the arrival of the Kingdom. As
Jonas7who was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights before preaching the
conversion of the Ninevites, this is how Christ rises on the third day to make conversion possible to
those who embrace his preaching. The generation of Jesus is compared to the Ninevites,
those who received no other sign than the prophet himself and his preaching of repentance. Thus the

3
Is 24:23; 33:22; Micah 4:6; Zephaniah 3:14; Abacuc 21; Zechariah 14:9,16; Psalms 5:18; Mark 1:15.
4
Mc 13:33-37; Mt 24:42-44; Lc 12:35-40.
5
Christ, "above all, will accomplish the coming of the Kingdom of God through the great mystery of his Passover: his death
"in the Cross and its resurrection." Cf. CEC 542.
6
DH 11.
7
ThensomeofthescribesandPhariseesansweredhim,saying,'Teacher,wewishtoseeasignfromyou.'Butheansweredthem,'Anevilandadulterousgenerationseeksforasign,butnosignwilbegiventoitexceptthesignoftheprophetJonah.ForjustasJonahwasthreedaysandthreenightsinthebellyofthegreatfish,sowiltheSonofManbethreedaysandthreenightsintheheartoftheearth.ThemenofNinevehwilriseupatthejudgmentwiththisgenerationandcondemnit,fortheyrepentedatthepreachingofJonah,andbehold,somethinggreaterthanJonahishere.ThequeenoftheSouthwilriseupatthejudgmentwiththisgenerationandcondemnit,forshecamefromtheendsoftheearthtohearthewisdomofSolomon,andbehold,somethinggreaterthanSolomonishere.'
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the sign of Jesus is Himself and His preaching, as a call to conversion in the now
of salvation. Nineveh was destined for condemnation, but grace came to it through Jonah.
unexpected and undeserved, as a gift from God, who sends them the prophet and grants them forgiveness.
The penance of the Ninevites, which Jonah neither expects nor desires, appears as grace. It is a
grace offered and accepted. Thus Jesus calls to conversion, offering it as grace
precisely to sinners. This preaching of the Kingdom of God, Jesus offers it to those who
They believe in His word and welcome Him.

The Kingdom of God is already in your midst' (Lk 17:20ff), proclaims the same
Jesus. And here Jesus speaks in the present. The Kingdom of God is not observable, but it is.
precisely among those whom he speaks. The Kingdom is among them, in Jesus
same. Jesus in person is the mystery of the Kingdom of God, given by God to the disciples. The
the future of promises is today in Jesus. The Kingdom of God is found in Him, but in such a way
so that it cannot be noticed except in the signs or signals it makes with the "finger" or
Spirit of God. In the irradiation of the Holy Spirit, which comes from Him, Jesus manifests the
arrival of the Kingdom of God with Him. Thanks to the power of the Spirit, which breaks the slavery of
Man under the dominion of demons, the Kingdom of God becomes a reality.

The Kingdom of God is an event and not a space or a temporal domain. The
the activity of Jesus, his word, the power of the Spirit in his actions, his passion and
resurrection, break the dominion of the lord of the world, which weighs upon man, and thus liberates
to man, establishing the lordship of God among men. He is the Kingdom of God, because
the Spirit of God works in the world through Him:

The Kingdom of God comes to us in Jesus Christ. It becomes close with his incarnation, it
announces throughout the Gospel, comes in the death and resurrection of Christ. Will come in the
glory when Jesus Christ returns it to the Father. [CEC 2816]
The Kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' preaching: 'After John was'
imprisoned, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the Good News of God with the following
The time has come, and the Kingdom of God is near: repent and believe in the
Good News' (Mark 1:14s). The coming of the Kingdom of God means the fulfillment of all the
promises made in the Old Testament (Mt 11:12; Lk 7:18-23; 10:23). "Christ, in order to make
the will of the Father, inaugurated the Kingdom of Heaven" [LG 3]. And the Church is on earth "the
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german and the beginning of this Kingdom" [LG 5]. Christ calls to Himself, to be part of the
Kingdom, by his word and by the signs that manifest the Kingdom of God and by the sending of his
disciples. And, above all, He will bring about the coming of His Kingdom through His Passover: His death
in the cross and its resurrection. [CEC 542]
When Jesus rose from the dead, God has defeated death and in Him has inaugurated
definitely his Kingdom. During his earthly life, Jesus is the prophet of the Kingdom and, after
his passion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, participates in the power of God and His dominion over
the world (Mt 28,18; Acts 2,36; Eph 1,18-31). The resurrection gives a universal scope to
message of Christ, to his action and to his entire mission8.

By sin, "the Prince of this world" has subjected men under his power
(Luke 11:18)9He is the lord 'of all the kingdoms of the earth', oppressor of man
Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, becomes present among men.
to undo the dominion of Satan, rescuing men, and with them, creation
entire, of its servitude, thus restoring the Kingdom of God His Father. "With the finger of
God" (Lc 11,20) or with the power of the Spirit10Jesus is defeating Satan. Jesus "binds the
strong" (Mk 3:27). It is what Jesus announces when he begins his ministry: "Jesus started to
preach and say: 'Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near'" (Mt 4:17). "I have
to announce the Good News of the Kingdom of God, for this is what I was sent for" (Lk 4:43).

The glory of God the Father has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, on the cross, in humiliation.
supreme. Jesus Christ has been exalted as Lord; as God before whom every knee bows,
not seizing divinity, but being the Son, obedient to the Father unto death. The divinity,

8
REDEMPTORIS MISSIO, n. 16. "Today, there is much talk about the Kingdom, with conceptions that are not always in harmony with

the Church, considering the Kingdom as a human and secular reality, where only the
programs and struggles for socio-economic, political, and also cultural liberation, looking towards progress
merely earthly. The Kingdom of God, on the other hand, is not of this world (Jn 18:36)... These ideologies leave
Christ in silence... But Christ has not only announced the Kingdom, but in Him the Kingdom itself has been made.
present and has come to its fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is not a concept, a doctrine, or a program subject
to free elaboration, but is, above all, a person who has the face and name of Jesus of Nazareth,
image of the invisible God..."(Cf. Ibidem 17-18)
9
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

10
Luke 5:7
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inheritance of the Kingdom, it is not conquered in a promised way against God, but by embracing it as

Lord, accepting divine filiation. It is in the behavior of a son where the Kingdom is illuminated.
of God. The beatitudes of the Kingdom are for the little ones, for those who become like
Children. The Kingdom belongs to the poor and to the little ones, who welcome it with a heart
humble. Jesus declares to them 'blessed are the meek, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven'
(Mt 5:3). It is to the little ones that the Father reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom (Mt 11:25)11.
Jesus invites sinners to the banquet of the Kingdom as well (Mark 2:17; 1 Timothy 1:15). When
one of them becomes there is a 'great joy in heaven' (Luke 15:7)12Jesus calls to
enter the Kingdom through the parables of the Kingdom13, and accompanies his words with
miracles, wonders, and signs (Acts 2:22) that manifest the presence of the Kingdom14.

The Beatitudes are at the center of Jesus' preaching. With them, Jesus gathers
the promises made to the chosen people from Abraham; but he perfects them by ordering them not
not only to the possession of a land, but to the Kingdom of Heaven: "Blessed are the poor in spirit"
spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven..." [CEC 1716]
Christ addresses those who are willing to embrace this new hope with faith: the poor,
the humble, the afflicted, the pure in heart, those persecuted for His sake, thus outlining
the surprising paths of the Kingdom. [CEC 1967]

In Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, which "is not of this world" (John 18:36), bursts into this
world. The Father gives it (Mt 21:43; Lk 12:32) as a divine inheritance (Mt 25:34; Gal 5:21). Jesus
he does nothing but proclaim it; with Him has appeared15it has arrived (Mt 12:28; Lc 11:20); the
the time has been fulfilled, the great moment has arrived (Mk 1:15). It is the time of the wedding
and of the harvest. The word of Jesus is the word of the Kingdom and its acts.
they are his signs; the miracles are, above all, signs that show that the Kingdom has arrived. The
the fight against Satan is the fundamental sign of his coming. From the moment when Jesus

11
CEC 544.
12
CEC 545.
13
CEC 546.
14
CEC 547-550.
15
From that time on, Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'
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He is proclaimed Messiah at the Jordan, the kingdom of Satan is progressively defeated

This defeat of Satan is proof that the Kingdom of God has
If I cast out demons with the finger of God, it means that the Kingdom of God has come to
"you" (Lc 11,20). "The Kingdom of God in actions," Schnackenburg calls the miracles that
Jesus performs. The healings and resurrections are a manifestation of the Kingdom, where already
There will be no crying, nor pain, nor death. Jesus similarly expresses the arrival of the Kingdom with the

forgiveness of sins, which He not only announces but grants, scandalizing the Jews,
well, only God can forgive them (Mk 2:5-7):

Moved by so much suffering, Christ not only allows himself to be touched by the sick, but he
He took our weaknesses and bore our diseases.
(Mt 8:17; Is 53:4). But he did not heal all the sick. His healings were a sign of the coming
of the Kingdom of God. They longed for a more radical healing: victory over sin and death
for his Easter. On the cross, Christ took upon himself all the weight of evil (Is 53:4-6) and removed the

"sin of the world" (Jn 1:29), of which illness is but a consequence. [CEC 1505]

But the Kingdom comes without ostentation: although it is present in the person of Jesus.
(Lk 17:20), it seems to fail greatly (Mk 4:2-9); it is small like a grain of
mustard (Mark 4:30-32); it is like a hidden treasure (Matthew 13:14), like a pearl that needs to
to seek (Mt 13:46), like a little yeast (Lc 13:21)... Only with death and resurrection,
the Kingdom begins "to manifest itself with power" (Mark 9:1), "when Jesus is constituted Son of
God with power" (Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 4:20). It is then when the kingdom of Satan suffers a
fundamental defeat16although it has not yet been completely defeated (2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2). The final victory
and it will take place when the Son of Man comes in the glory of his Father, surrounded by
the heavenly court (Mark 13:32). Then Satan (Revelation 20:2), the Antichrist (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and all the

hostile powers (1Cor 15:24) will be annihilated and God will be all in all (1Cor 15:28). The
Cristiano is situated between the already of the Kingdom, which has come in Jesus, and the not yet.
of the Kingdom come to its fullness. The already possessed Kingdom stimulates, with its certainty, the longing for

the consummation, for the Christian cries: "Maranatha!, come, Lord Jesus!"
(1Cor 16:22; Ap 22:20). It is what is requested every day: 'Your Kingdom come!'. It is the cry of
Spirit and the Bride: 'Come, Lord Jesus.'

16
Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1Cor 2:8.
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One can speak of three stages of the Kingdom corresponding to the three comings of
Jesus Christ, of whom the Fathers speak to us. His first coming, in mortal flesh, marked the
beginning of the Kingdom. This is confirmed to us by the parables of the mustard seed and the seed
sown in the field. Her final coming will mean the completion of the Kingdom, at the time of the
harvest, when the eschatological Kingdom is established, inaugurated with a banquet for
all the chosen ones. Meanwhile, in the time in between the one and the other, the
unceasing coming of His Spirit to the Church and to each Christian marks the process of their
development, as it appears in the parables of the net and in that of the wheat and the tares.

The announcement of John the Baptist, the opening of the heavens at the baptism of Jesus, his struggle

and victory over Satan in the desert are expressions of the eschatological battle between God and
Satan17The Kingdom of God has penetrated the world; its final victory cannot be delayed.
parables of growth—the one of the sower and the one of the mustard seed (Mark 4 and Matthew 13)—
they illustrate this tension between the present and future of the Kingdom announced by Jesus. The beginning

Royal of the Kingdom, in its modest appearance, heralds the splendid end of its fullness. It gives
continuity between sowing and harvesting. Likewise, the analogy of the harvesting in the parable of the
seed that grows on its own (Mk 4:26-28), refers to eschatology.

The eschatological reality of the Kingdom is not postponed until a remote end of the world, but it is
the next one is coming and begins to be fulfilled. 'The Kingdom of God is near' (Mark 1:15); it is prayed that

come (Mt 6:10); faith sees it already present in the signs, like the miracles (Mt 11:4-5), the
exorcisms (Mt 12:25-28), the choosing of the twelve (Mk 3:13-19), the announcement of the Good News
to the poor (Luke 4:18)...18

The Church, seed of the Kingdom

Juan announced the imminent coming of the Kingdom; Jesus manifests the fulfillment of the
promise. With Him, God has entered into history; the power of Satan wavers;
disease and sin, signs of their power; retreat. But the Kingdom of God, inaugurated

17
The power of Satan cannot prevent the building of the Kingdom of God. Although Satan acts in the world by
hate against God and His Kingdom in Jesus Christ, and although their actions cause damage to each individual and to society,

this action is permitted by divine providence that with strength and sweetness directs the history of man and of
world. That God allows diabolical activity is a great mystery, but 'we know that in all the
"All things work together for good for those who love God" (Rm 8.28). [CEC 395; 547 550]
18
MISSION OF THE REDEEMER13.
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in Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled at the end of times. The person and work of Christ, making
he presents the Kingdom of God among men, awaiting its fulfillment with His Second Coming
Glorious. The parable of the wheat and the tares announces the judgment, in which the one will be separated from the other.

another: the wheat will be gathered in the Kingdom and the tares will be cast into the fire. The same is announced by

parable of the net: separation of the good and the bad. With this separation, the century will be fulfilled.

present, initiating the future century (Mt 13). The new creation will replace this world
The elements that make up the future century correspond to the
consummation of the Kingdom: judgment, resurrection, eternal life or death.

The Ascension of Christ to heaven signifies his participation, with his humanity, in the
power of God. Christ is established as Lord, "under whose feet God has subjected all things"
(Eph 1:20-22). And as Lord, Christ is also the Head of the Church, which is his body.
Elevated to heaven and glorified, Christ remains in the Church, in which "the Kingdom of
Christ is already present in mystery, for the Church 'constitutes the seed and the beginning of
this Kingdom on earth" [LG 3; 5].

The Kingdom cannot be separated from the Church. Certainly, it is not an end in itself, since
it is ordered to the Kingdom of God, of which it is a seed, sign, and instrument. However, at the same time

what differs from Christ and the Kingdom is indissolubly connected to both. Christ has endowed
to the Church, its Body, of the fullness of goods and means of salvation19.
The Kingdom of Christ, already present in His Church, is not yet complete.
power and glory" (Luke 21:27, Matthew 25:3) with the coming of the King to the earth. This Kingdom is still
object of the attacks of the powers of evil (2 Thessalonians 2:7), despite the fact that these powers have

have been defeated at their root by the Easter of Christ. Until everything has been subdued
(1Cor 15:28), and while there are no new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells, the
The pilgrim church carries in its sacraments and institutions, which belong to this time, the
image of this world that passes. She herself lives among the creatures that moan in pain of
"birth until now and eagerly await the manifestation of the sons of God" [LG 48]. For this reason
Christians ask for the return of Christ to be hastened (2 Peter 3:11-12), when they plead: "Come,
Lord Jesus" (1Cor 16:22; Ap 22:17-20). [CEC 671]

19
REDEMPTORIS MISSIO 18. Cf. 17-20.
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Jesus, then, through multiple parables announced the Kingdom of God, presenting it
as a present and at the same time a future reality. The Church, in fidelity to the message of
Jesus Christ announced Jesus as the Christ, as one who acts in the Spirit and, therefore, as the
current form of the Kingdom of God:

The disciples realize that the Kingdom is already present in the person of Jesus and is leaving.
gradually establishing in man and in the world through a mysterious bond with
Indeed, after the resurrection, they preached the Kingdom, announcing Jesus.
dead and resurrected. Philip announced in Samaria "the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the
the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 8:12). Paul was preaching the Kingdom of God in Rome and teaching it
regarding the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31). The early Christians also proclaimed the
Kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:5; Rev 11:15; 12:10) or rather 'the eternal Kingdom of our Lord'
"Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11). It is in the announcement of Jesus Christ, with which the Kingdom is identified, where

it focuses on the preaching of the early Church... The two announcements: that of the Kingdom of God—
preached by Jesus —and the proclamation of the event of Jesus Christ —preaching of the
apostles—complement and enlighten each otherTwentyTo His Apostles, Jesus made
to be with Him and participate in His mission (Mark 3:13-19); He made them share in His authority 'and they

"sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal" (Luke 9:2). They remain forever.
associated with the Kingdom of Christ, because through them He directs His Church: "I, for my part,
I grant you a kingdom, just as my Father granted it to me, so that you may eat and
You will drink at my table in my Kingdom and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Luke 22:29-30). [Catechism of the Catholic Church 551]

Where the word of God is sown, there the Kingdom of God is already germinally found.
God21The Word of God is compared to a seed sown in the field; those who
they listen with faith and join the little flock of Christ, they have embraced the Kingdom; then the

seed, by itself, germinates and grows until the time of the harvest" [LG 5]. With the arrival of
Jesus began the wedding of salvation (Mk 2:19). The harvest is already ripe (Mt 9:37). The
The expected pastor has come.22the doctor is among us (Mark 2:17). They are already

distributing the invitations for the banquet at the end of times (Luke 14:16-24: Mark 2:17).

20
REDEMPTORIS MISSIO16.
21
Mark 4:26-29, 30; Matthew 13:24-30.
22
Matthew 10:6; 15:24; Mark 14:28; Luke 15:4 and following.
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Jesus is taking the loot from Satan (Mark 3:27). The future has begun, the Kingdom has
arrival23. This awareness of living in the dawn of the Kingdom of God makes the disciple of Christ.
exclaim: Come your Kingdom! It implores the ultimate revelation of God's glory and dominion. This
request requires disciples who only "desire the Kingdom of God" (Luke 12:31), considering
as secondary everything else.

If Jesus announces that the Kingdom of God is near, his disciples implore: Your kingdom come
Kingdom! From the joy of the closeness of the Kingdom springs the desire: Your Kingdom come! He who has

discovered the hidden treasure, go, sell everything and pray: Your Kingdom come! Being part of the
King makes him greater than all the greats of the era of promises (Mark 11:11). The prayerful
know that the Kingdom is the great gift of God, promised (Luke 6:20) and given (Luke 12:32; Matthew 21:43). The

A man can only receive it like a child (Mark 2:15). The Kingdom must be 'awaited.'
(Mk 15:43; Lk 2:25), "is received as an inheritance" (Mt 25:34). It is an act entirely of God.
No human action will be able to accomplish it.

The Church, looking at the Risen One, experiences a coming that has already occurred, and from it,

announces a second coming of the same Lord. Believers know, on one hand, the
joy of the Kingdom of God and, on the other hand, when they find themselves immersed in persecution, they yearn and

they implore hopefully for the fullness of the Kingdom. They feel the Lord close, but they know that the Lord

waits for the time granted to the nations to enter the Kingdom: it is the
the time in which the wheat grain, dying, brings forth the fruit of life all over the world.

The Church "will only reach its perfection in the glory of heaven" [LG 48], when Christ returns.
glorious. Until that day, 'the Church progresses in its pilgrimage through persecutions
of the world and of the comforts of God" (Saint Augustine). Down here, she knows herself in exile, far away
of the Lord (2Cor 5:6), and aspires to the coming of the Kingdom, "and hopes and desires with all his

forces to unite with their King in glory.

In its liturgy, "the Church celebrates the mystery of its Lord until He comes" and "God be
everything in all
the term for the groaning of the Spirit in the Church: 'Maranatha' (1 Cor 16:22). The liturgy participates
thus in the desire of Jesus: "With eagerness I have desired to eat this Passover with you... until

23
CEC 541-550
 78

that it may be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God" (Luke 22:15-16). In the sacraments of Christ,
the Church already receives the down payment of her inheritance, already participates in eternal life, although

waiting for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)24.

If the Eucharist is the memorial of the Lord's Passover and if through our communion in the
we are filled "with grace and blessing", the Eucharist is also the anticipation of the
heavenly glory. At the Last Supper, the Lord himself drew the attention of his disciples toward the
fulfillment of Passover in the Kingdom of God: 'And I tell you that from now on I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you again, in the Kingdom of my
Father25Every time the Church celebrates the Eucharist, it remembers this promise and its gaze is
directs towards 'the one who is to come' (Rev 1:4). In his prayer, he implores his coming: 'Maranatha'

Come, Lord Jesus (1Cor 16:22), let your grace come and let this world pass (Rev 22:20)
(DIDAJÉ10,20).

The Church knows that, even now, the Lord comes in His Eucharist and is there in the midst.
of us. However, this presence is veiled. That is why we celebrate the Eucharist
longing for the glorious coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ
where we hope to enjoy together the eternal fullness of your glory; there you will wipe away the
tears from our eyes, because, when we look upon you as You are, our God, we will be for
forever like you and we will sing your praises eternally, through Christ our Lord
Our26.

From the Easter Triduum, as from its source of light, the new time of the Resurrection fills
with its brightness the entire liturgical year. From this source, the whole year becomes transfigured
through the liturgy. It is truly the "year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:19). The economy of salvation,

24
CEC 1130, where it quotes Saint Thomas: "Therefore, the sacrament is a sign that recalls what happened, it is
to say, the passion of Christ; it is a sign that demonstrates what happened among us by virtue of the passion of
Christ, that is, grace; and it is a sign that anticipates, that is, that foretells the coming glory.
lIl, 60,3).
25
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.

26
Eucharistic Prayer III, prayer for the dead. Cf. CEC 1402-1405.
 79

Well, it acts within the timeframe but from its fulfillment in the Easter of Jesus and the
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the end of history is anticipated, as if tasted, and the Kingdom of
God interrupts in the time of humanity. [CEC 1168]

The Church 'will only reach its perfection in the glory of heaven' [LG 48], when Christ
return glorious. The consummation of the Church in glory, and through it the world, does not
it will happen without great trials. Only then, 'all the just from Adam, 'from the
just Abel until the last of the chosen ones will meet with the Father in the universal Church
[LG 2] [CEC 769].

The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in its profound and ultimate identity, because in it
the Kingdom of Heaven already exists and will be fulfilled at the end of times, the Kingdom of God
(Rev 19:6) which has come in the person of Christ and that grows mysteriously in the heart of
those who are incorporated until their full eschatological manifestation. Then all the
men rescued by Him, made in Him 'saints and blameless in the presence of God in the
"love" (Eph 1:4) will be gathered as the one People of God, "the Bride of the Lamb"
the Holy City that comes down from Heaven from God and has the glory of God
(Rev 21:10-11); and "the wall of the city rests on twelve stones, which bear the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14). [CCC 865]

Jesus, who "went around cities and towns, proclaiming and announcing the Good News of
Kingdom of God" (Lk 8:1), repeatedly sends his disciples "to proclaim the Kingdom of God"
And since the harvest is plentiful and the workers of the Kingdom are few, he will invite them to
to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest (Luke 10:2). But, before his

definitive eschatological implantation, in which the chosen will sit with the Father in the
joy of the heavenly banquet27, the Kingdom appears with humble beginnings
The Kingdom, truly
started28it develops slowly in the earth (Mark 4:26-29), through the Church (Matthew 16:18s),
that preaches it all over the world29, until it is finally established and returned to the Father

27
I tell you, many will come from the east and the west and will take their place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
28
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29
As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
 80

(1Cor 15:25), with the glorious return of Christ30Meanwhile, it presents itself as pure grace31,
what the humble receive32, those who act like children and those who, because of him, detach themselves from
33
how much do they have This grace is rejected by the proud and selfish.34. You only enter it
with the wedding garment (Mt 22:11-13) of the new life (Jn 6:9-10). And, as it will come from
improvisation, it is necessary to ensure that when it arrives, it finds us vigilant and ready to enter
in it before the doors close (Mt 25 1-13). The waiting for the Kingdom is, ultimately, the
waiting for the glorious coming of Christ that will bring with it the definitive fulfillment of the Kingdom.

The petition of the Our Father can also be expressed like this: 'Come, Lord Jesus.' Saint Cyprian
comment:

In the same way that we ask for Your Name to be sanctified in us, we also ask
that his Kingdom may be present in us. We ask that his Kingdom come: the one God has given us
promised, conquered with the blood and passion of Christ, so that we, who now, in
this land, we serve Him, let us reign with Christ the King in the next life, as He Himself has
promised: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
since the foundation of the world" (Mt 25:34). Undoubtedly, Christ himself is the Kingdom of God, which

every day we wish for it to come, and whose coming we hope will be granted to us soon. Whoever
dedicate themselves to God and Christ do not desire the kingdom of the earth, but that of heaven. The Christians, who

we have learned to call God Father, we pray for the Kingdom of God to come to us.

Come your Kingdom!

The Kingdom of God designates the glory and reign of God and also salvation and
blessedness of man. The prayer asks the Father for both things. Where it is accomplished
the reign of God there is also the salvation of men. The Kingdom of God is
constituted by the chosen of God. Saint Augustine tells those who are about to be baptized:

Remember that we are His Kingdom if, believing in Him, we walk in Him. All the faithful,
redeemed with the blood of His Only Begotten, they will be His Kingdom. This Kingdom will come with the

30
Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46.
31
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'
32
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

33
Mt 13,44-46; 19,12; Mc 9,47; Lc 9,62.
34
Which of the two did what his father wanted? "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
 81

resurrection of the dead, when He comes and says to those who are on His right:
Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
we wish and ask when we say: Your Kingdom come.

In this supplication, the children ask their Heavenly Father for the gift of those conditions that
I assure you entrance into His Kingdom: poverty of spirit (Mt 5:3), faithfulness in persecution.
(Mt 5:10), the fulfillment of his will (Mt 7:21), the listening and understanding of the word
of the Kingdom (Mt 13:13), to be able to detach oneself from "what they possess" to obtain the treasure

hidden and the precious pearl of the Kingdom (Mt 13,44-46)... Calling God as Father, he
They ask that they be granted to live "as children of the Kingdom" (Mt 13:38), with filial abandonment in
in your providence, free from anguish and worry about tomorrow (Mt 6:25-32).

Even if this prayer had not commanded us to ask for the coming of the Kingdom,
we would have had to express this request, hurrying towards the goal of our
hopes. The souls of the martyrs, under the altar; invoke the Lord with great cries:
How long, Holy and True Lord, will you refrain from avenging our blood on those...
"inhabitants of the earth?" (Rev 6:10). Indeed, the martyrs must attain justice in the end of
the times. Lord, hurry, then, the coming of your Kingdom!35.

The Kingdom is a gift that comes to us from the Father. Jesus Christ has guaranteed it to us:
"Do not be afraid, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom" (Lk 12:32). But the
Expected kingdom, whose coming we ask for, the Father gives to those who do his will (Mark 7:21).
The disciples are the only ones who seek it, awaiting his coming (Luke 23:51) and asking for it from him.

Father (Luke 11:2). "The Kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

As Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says:

Only a pure heart can confidently say: Your Kingdom come to us! It is necessary
I have been at Pablo's school to say: "Let sin no longer reign in our body.
"mortal" (Rom 6:12). He who maintains purity in his actions, his thoughts, and his
words, can say to God: Your Kingdom come!

The first Christians, according to the testimony of the DIDACHE, implored: "Let it come the
Grace and pass the figure of this world!'' Thus speaks Saint Gregory of Nyssa: the supplication for the

35
Tertullian, cited in CEC 2817.
 82

the coming of the reign of the Father requests the extinction of the reign "of the enemy due to sin", which

Lucas—according to some manuscripts—explains better, replacing the request for your Kingdom to come
Come upon us, your Holy Spirit, and purify us, for it is the nature of the Holy Spirit.
purify and forgive the sins of those in whom he is36Also Origins
comment on this request saying that those who ask for 'the coming of the Kingdom of the Father' are pleading

that the divine Kingdom may be perfected

final (1Cor 15:24-28), for "God reigns in each of the saints" (Jn 14:23), already freed from
the tyranny 'of the prince of this age,' for in them 'sin no longer reigns' (Rom 6:12), given
that "the Kingdom of God cannot coexist with the kingdom of sin":

If the Kingdom of God does not come ostentatiously, but the Kingdom of God is within.
we (Lk 17:20-21), in our mouth and in our heart (Dt 30:14), the one who prays and supplicates
that the Kingdom of God is praying for the divine Kingdom that is within itself, so that
sun and bear fruit and be perfected. The Kingdom of God, which is within us, will reach perfection.
when "Christ, once he has put all his enemies under him, will deliver the Kingdom to God the Father,
so that God may be in all things" (1Cor 15,24-28). And "as they cannot be together the
justice and iniquity, light and darkness, Christ and Belial" (2 Cor 6:14-15), if we want God to
reign in us, "sin must not reign in our body" (Rm 1:12), rather
Well, we must mortify our "earthly members" (Col 3:5) to bear fruit in the Spirit.
so that in us, as in a spiritual paradise, God may walk, and He alone may
reign in us.

As in the time of Israel, God ruled over those who were freed from slavery,
they received the gift of the land, so in the time of Jesus, God reigns over those who are freed from
the slavery of sin, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Before the coming of Christ, "the
Sin reigned through death" (Rm 5:21), "of the fear of death, through which
Everyone was permanently subjected to slavery by the lord of death, that is, the devil.
(Hb 2:14-15). Christ came precisely to ''destroy, through his death, the lord of the
death and to free those who, due to the fear of death, were subjected to it" (Hb 2:15), in order to
that, through Him, "grace may reign" (Rom 5:21), to become "servants of God"
(Rm 6,22). Thus the Father "delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Son
"beloved" (Col 1:13). By receiving the Spirit of the Son, "we were made children of God and, if children,

36
The Advent antiphons, dating from the eighth century, also implore the coming of the Kingdom.
 83

also heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Rm 8,17). Saint Gregory of Nazianzus says:

Since man, led by deception, was rendered unable to discern good and inclined to
But, this invaded the life of man, remaining subjected to the dominion of vices or passions.
That is why we ask for the Kingdom of God to come to us. We could not escape, indeed, from the
power of corruption if the empire of the life-giving force did not occupy its place in us
of God. This means the supplication for the coming of the Kingdom of God to us: that, free from the
corruption and death, let us be disengaged from the bonds of sin and let death not reign
and about us; let the enemy not prevail over us and not subjugate us with it
sin and vices, but let God reign in us, sending us his holy Spirit, that we
purify.

The request for the coming of the Kingdom of God—says Saint Chromatius of Aquileia—is the
supplication that "his promised and acquired heavenly Kingdom come to us through the blood of
"Jesus Christ," and at the same time we ask God to grant us to live in such a way "that we can
be worthy of that future Kingdom." For as Theodore of Mopsuestia says:

Those who, through filial adoption, have been called to the heavenly Kingdom and hope to be always in it.
heaven with Christ (1Thess 4:17), the request for the coming of the Kingdom implies having thoughts
worthy of Him and to carry out actions characteristic of a heavenly life, despising the things of the
earth and living with a conduct worthy of the nobility of our Father.

Saint Augustine, in various places, comments on this request:

In the petition for the coming of the Kingdom of God, we implore, as in the previous one, not for God, but
for us, for although God reigns on earth since the creation of the world, we ask that his
Kingdom manifests itself to the men who do not yet know him and, in a particular way, among
to us; let come to us what we are certain will come to all his saints;
we ask, then, that the Kingdom of God comes to us, making us belong to the
members of the only begotten Son and to be part of the saints, to whom the Kingdom of God will be given.
end of times (Mt 25:34). Let us be vigilant now to rise again later and begin to reign for
for centuries of centuries!
Come your Kingdom. We ask that it comes to us, to meet us in it. This Kingdom will come,
but if you are on the left, what good is it to you? That's why, when you pray like this, you are asking for a good for

You, time for you, as you ask the Father to grant you to live in such a way that you belong to the number.
to the saints, to whom the Kingdom of God shall be given.
 84

Come means to manifest itself to men. Because just like light, although present,
it is absent for the blind and for those who close their eyes, so the Kingdom of God, although it is
present, however, it is absent for those who do not know him.

The Kingdom of God "is not of this world" (Jn 18:36), although it is realized in this world.
When this Kingdom of God descends upon the earth, then the new creation will arise,
with new heavens and a new earth. This Kingdom of God, filled with the glory of God, is the fullness
happiness for man. We are described with images as the royal room (Mark 10:40), hall of
feast, where the diners sit at the table (Mt 8:11), eat and drink
The Kingdom is also likened to a palace or a city,
whose doors can be opened and closed (Mt 16:19; 23:13). One can enter it37So the
The Kingdom of God is life for man38for in it the disciples receive their reward
persecuted.

How is it that some —Tertullian asks —wish for this present time to last?
a lot, yes the Kingdom of God, which we invoke to come soon, actually implies the end of
this present time? (Mt 24:3). Let us prefer to reign as soon as possible rather than serve
still for a long time!

At the end of the story, in the final apocalypse, we will sing: 'The Lord God reigns now.'
our almighty one" (Rev 19:6). Then it will be us who will go to His Kingdom, to
listen to his last call: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for
you since the creation of the world" (Mt 25:34). When the end comes, the Son will deliver the
Kingdom of God the Father (1Cor 15:24). "Then, in the Kingdom of his Father, the righteous will shine.

like the sun" (Mt 13:43).

The Kingdom, work of the Holy Spirit

Man, in his desire for autonomy, what he intends is to be God. This is the
the deepest aspiration of man. And God does not oppose it, but rather evokes it in the
man. Only that man, in his search for divinization, goes astray.
Jesus Christ has marked the way for us and Saint Paul invites Christians to follow in his footsteps:

37
Mc 9,47; 10,15.23ss; Mt 5,20; 7,21; 18,3; 23,14; Jn3,5; Hch 14,22.
38
Mc 9,43-45; 10,17.30; Mt 7,14; 19,17.29; 25,46; Lc 12,15.
 85

Have among yourselves the same feelings that Christ Jesus had: who, being of
divine condition, he did not boast of being equal to God, but he emptied himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him,
he granted the name that is above all names, so that at the name of Jesus every knee
let every knee bow in heaven, on earth, and in the abyss; and let every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord, for the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:5-11).

The grace of God introduces a radical change in the world. Living in the Kingdom means,
in moral order, the madness of becoming poor, stepping outside the rules of efficiency of the world,
to move towards God's poverty, thus opening oneself to the wealth that He is and gives to His own.
Hello, the Kingdom of God appears under the sign of joy, festivity, and beauty, as
they show the wedding and banquet parables. But the sublime thing is that this wealth of God
it manifests itself under the images of human impotence and weakness, as shown by the
parables of the mustard seed, of the yeast... With this paradox, Jesus steps out of the
apocalyptic scheme of rabbinic and zealot tradition. Their new image of the Kingdom is the
the victory of God in the lack of showiness, in passion. Jesus is King (Jn 18:33 and following; Mt 27:15),
but queen from the throne of the Cross. Upon her, her title is written for all time
and in all languages (Jn 18:19-20).

The Father, original source of justice and holiness, allows us to enter His Kingdom of
justice and holiness, through the free mercy poured into our hearts by the
Spirit of His own Son. "Only God is good" (Mk 10:18; Lk 18:19), and only from the Father, for
Jesus, in the Spirit, can bring salvation to man. It is what, with strength,
expresses San Bernardo:

The mercy of the Lord, then, is the foundation of my merits. I will always have as many
how many He deigns to grant me, having compassion on me... I will be singing eternally
the mercies of the Lord (Ps 88:1). But, will I celebrate my own justification with this?
In no way; but only of your justice, Lord, will I make remembrance (Ps 70:14). Although
Your justice is also mine, for You Yourself were appointed by God as a source.
of justice for me (1Cor 1:30). Should I fear that this justice is not enough for both,
for You and for me? Ah, no!... for Your justice is eternal (Ps 118:142). And what thing is there
as wide and extended as eternity? Your justice, then, which is eternal and extremely extensive,
will cover us both abundantly. In me, it will cover the multitude of sins: but.
 86

What will it cover in You, Lord, but treasures of mercy and infinite riches of goodness?... God
has revealed these riches to us through the Holy Spirit, who has allowed us to enter into his
Sanctuary through the doors of his wounds.

Jesus, sent to announce the Kingdom of God, says to his disciples: "Do not be afraid, my
little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom" (Lk 12:32). The Kingdom
it is a gift, but the gift must be accepted in order to bear fruit from within. 'The Kingdom of the
heaven will be given to a people that bears its fruits" (Mt 21:43). "Not everyone who says, 'Lord,'
Lord! will enter the Kingdom of heaven, except for the one who does the will of my Father" (Mt 7:21).
No fornicator, or impure person, or greedy person will have a share in the inheritance of the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

(Eph 5:5). "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt 3:2; 4:17). "Unless one is born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven" (Jn 3:5). "Unless you become
“Like children you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).

Becoming like a child in relation to God is the condition to enter the Kingdom (Mt 18:3-4);
to lower oneself (Mt 23:12), to become small, even more so, "to be born from above" (Jn 3:7), "to be born of

God" (Jn 1:13) is the condition to "become children of God" (Jn 1:12): it is necessary to be born of
water and of the Spirit. "The Kingdom, the object of the promise made to David39, it will be the work of the Spirit

Saint; will belong to the poor according to the Spirit" [CEC 709].

Since the day of Pentecost, the kingdom announced by Christ is open to all who believe.
in Him: in the humility of the flesh and in faith, already participate in the Communion of the Most Holy

Trinidad. With his coming, which does not cease, the Holy Spirit brings the world into the 'last
times", the time of the Church, the Kingdom already inherited, but not yet consummated. [CEC 732]
Through communion with him, the Holy Spirit makes us spiritual, restores us in Paradise,
leads us to the Kingdom of heaven and to adoption as children, gives us the confidence to call God Father.
and to participate in the grace of Christ, to be called children of the light and to have a share in the glory
eternal40.
The transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy hastens the coming of the Kingdom and the
consummation of the mystery of salvation. In waiting and in hope, it truly makes us

39
2 Samuel 7
40
Saint Basil, cited in CEC 736.
 87

anticipate the full communion with the Holy Trinity. Sent by the Father, who listens to the
epiclesis of the Church, the Spirit gives life to those who welcome it, and constitutes for them, already
from now on, the earnest of your inheritance (Eph 1:14; 2 Cor 1:22)41.

The fulfillment of time entails the arrival of the Kingdom, but not its consummation, for
it can be said: "the Kingdom is near". The Kingdom still retains a dimension of
future, which nurtures the hope and prayer of believers. Jesus himself prays and teaches to
to pray to his disciples, asking for the coming of the Kingdom (Mt 6:10; Lc 11:2). This waiting for the Kingdom

forces to live awake, in vigilance. The servants wait for their Lord and will be happy if
he finds them watching on his return (Lk 12:36-38). This vigilance is necessary, for not
the moment of the coming is known (Mt 13:33-37) and it can even take time (v.38). The images
of the thief (Lk 12:39-40) and that of the steward (Lk 12:41-46) emphasize the need for
surveillance, while awaiting and yearning for the coming Kingdom. The delay tests the
administrator, but it is the opportunity to add patience to vigilance.

All these parables present the same picture: the expectation of a coming that
it will consummate history, and the ignorance of the moment of such coming, which is the occasion
to live in a constant and patient vigilance. Jesus, who has made present and
the Kingdom experimental, raises the expectation of his second coming as the Son of Man who
He arrives with power and glory to judge the world and deliver the Kingdom to the Father.42Therefore, whoever
now, in the present time, "whoever is ashamed of me before men, the Son of
man will be ashamed of him before the Father" (Mark 8:38) or in Matthew's version: "whoever
"declare for me... I will also declare for him" (10,32-33).

The Church announces that Christ, dead and risen, is the Redeemer of man. This
redemption is the story of the Kingdom of God, whose coming we implore and taste in the Church.
In this story of salvation, here in the pilgrimage of faith, God and the believer
they gradually get used to living in one another through Christ and the Spirit, without
the man puts himself in the place of God and without God replacing man by nullifying his
freedom. The Holy Spirit, Love of the Father and the Son, infused in our hearts, us

41
CEC 1107.
42
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
 88

it reveals the endless Love, the face of God one and three: If you see charity, you see the Trinity.
Today, in ecclesial charity, we see God indistinctly with the first lights of dawn; in the end
we will see it clearly, face to face, in the full light of the Endless Day. But now, little by little,
we get used to the eternal light of the Kingdom. As St. Irenaeus says:

The Word of God dwelled in man and became the Son of man to habituate man to
to welcome God and to habituate God to dwell in man according to the good pleasure of the Father.