Jesus was asked by some Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come. In their mind, it was a definitive time that would be suddenly realised by the arrival of a triumphant Messiah-King. Jesus says it is not going to be like that at all. The Kingdom cannot be found by looking around for tell tale signs so that you can say it is 'here' or 'there'. No, says Jesus, "the reign of God is already in your midst". In other words, it is right in front of them. It is first of all in the very person of Jesus, who is the embodiment of the God's Reign. He is the Messiah-King. He is the living incarnation of God's loving power revealed in His authoritative teaching, in His many healings of the sick, in His freeing of those from the power of evil spirits and in His compassion for the sinner and the outcast. All are clear evidence of the reign of God "in their midst".

In every age, there are people who get worked up about the "final coming of Christ". Instead of focusing on a date in the calendar we should be focusing on the realities of our everyday lives where, to those with eyes to see, the reign of God can easily be discerned working in other people's lives and in our own. Wherever people are reflecting in their lives the vision of life, and values that Jesus revealed to us, the Kingdom is there. And such people are not confined to the Church! They can be and are found everywhere!