3. ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.
‘Thy Kingdom come’ - What does this mean?
It
means that we pray that God’s kingdom will become present to us in the
same way that we ask for his name to be hallowed among us. We pray that
the kingdom built for us by God, the kingdom won by the death and
Resurrection of Christ, will fully come. In addition, we plead that we
who were formerly slaves will be living members of that kingdom.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) says:
‘Thy
kingdom come refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God
through Christ’s return. But, far from distracting the Church from her
mission in this present world, this desire commits her to it all the
more strongly. Since Pentecost, the coming of that Reign is the work of
the Spirit of the Lord who “completes his work on earth and brings us
the fullness of grace”’. (Para 2818 p.676)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church then goes on to comment
‘The Kingdom of God
is righteousness and peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit. The end-times in
which we live is the age of the outpouring of the Spirit. Ever since
Pentecost, a decisive battle has been joined between the “flesh” and the
Spirit’ (Para 2819 p.676)
However, it is important to remember as we pray this phrase that the Kingdom of God
has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in
our midst. The Kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to
his Father.
We
do not just wait for the kingdom to come. We, through the grace of the
Spirit working in us, have the ability to make the kingdom come in our
lives each day.
How will YOU make the Kingdom come this week/month/year in your life?
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