{"id":7909,"date":"2018-04-23T13:01:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T18:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=7909"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:42:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:42:37","slug":"the-not-yet-but-already-reign-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2018\/04\/23\/the-not-yet-but-already-reign-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘not yet’ but ‘already’ reign of God"},"content":{"rendered":"

What we are now; what we will be. What has not yet been revealed; what we already know.<\/p>\n

The First Letter of John speaks to our present identity and eternal destiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeloved, we are God\u2019s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.\u201d (1 John 3:2<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The fulfillment of God\u2019s promises, the reign of God, is \u201cnot yet\u201d and \u201calready present.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus said, \u201cThis is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.\u201d (Mk 1:15<\/a>) Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and announced the prophesy of Isaiah \u201cto bring glad tidings to the poor \u2026 to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,\u201d and he said, \u201cToday this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.\u201d (Lk 4:18-21<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Throughout his ministry Jesus fulfilled this promise through his teaching and healing and liberation from every form of oppression. Even in his death, God raised him, showing the power of God even over death itself.<\/p>\n

Now the disciples, having received the gift and power of the Holy Spirit, continue this ministry of Jesus. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands trial for invoking the name of Jesus to heal a man who could not walk (Acts 4:9<\/a>), and later Peter heals Aeneas, who was paralyzed, and he raises Tabitha from the dead, (Acts 9:32-42<\/a>)<\/p>\n

It seems that what John writes about \u2013 \u201cwe shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is\u201d \u2013 is already present in these disciples. They encountered the Risen Lord, it transformed them, and now they are like him. They too are fulfilling the vision of Isaiah to heal and liberate.<\/p>\n

So what about us? Have we too received the power of the Spirit and continue these ministries of healing and even raising from the dead? Is \u201cbeing like him\u201d only a future promise or also a present reality?<\/p>\n

What have you seen and heard and experienced that indicates the fulfillment of God\u2019s reign of justice and peace? Maybe, at times, it is not as obvious as the healings we hear about in Acts. But perhaps the healing and raising that we do experience is no less real or significant.<\/p>\n

\"helping-stand-up\"
Image courtesy Faith Bible Ministries Blog<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think of friends and family who have nearly died or even had near-death experiences and lived to tell the story; of people who survived cancer, and of people who did not but whose presence continues to be felt; of people whose lives have been healed and saved through Alcoholics Anonymous, or social service agencies; of experiences where, even for a moment, loneliness or despair is lifted. I think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which for me and many others is a place of powerful encounter with the mercy of God, a God who forgives and gives new life.<\/p>\n

Yes, it is true that we await the day of fulfillment, the \u201cnew heaven and a new earth,\u201d when God will \u201cmake all things new\u201d and \u201cwipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain.\u201d (Rev 21:1-5<\/a>) But we also experience signs of this fulfillment today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are God\u2019s children now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note from the editor<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>This blog post is a version of a homily that Father Luke Hansen, SJ, preached April 22, 2018 (<\/span><\/i>4th Sunday of Easter, Year B<\/span><\/i>) in Rome.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE RABBLE ROUSER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke Hansen, SJ<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Luke-Hansen-SJ\"Originally from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, Luke Hansen, SJ, has been a friend of Sister Julia\u2019s since 2004 when they met at an airport on their way to serve in the\u00a0Jesuit Volunteer Corps<\/a>\u00a0in California. Passionate about justice and peacemaking, much of his experience in ministry has been centered on serving adults and adolescents who are incarcerated. He now is studying in Rome at the\u00a0Pontifical Gregorian University<\/a>. (Photo credit:\u00a0www.jesuits.org<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

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The ‘not yet’ but ‘already’ reign of God<\/a><\/blockquote>