In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard reflects on the nature of God’s Kingdom, and the challenge inherent to all of us in being part of it.
Readings: Joel 1.13-15 & 2.1-2; Luke 11.15-26 [Friday of week 27 of Ordinary Time, year 1]
In today’s readings, both the prophet Joel and Jesus speak to us about moments of crisis — moments when darkness seems to close in, when God’s presence feels distant.
Joel describes a “day of darkness and gloom,” calling the people to repentance. His message is urgent: “The day of the Lord is near.” It is a wake-up call — not meant to terrify, but to awaken hearts that have grown dull. The people are invited to return to God so that his reign — his kingdom — might take root again among them.
In the Gospel, Jesus confronts another kind of darkness — the accusation that His power to cast out demons comes from evil itself. He answers clearly: “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is not some distant event. It is breaking into the world now — wherever Christ drives out fear, restores peace, and reclaims what is lost. The kingdom is God’s rule of love, pushing back the shadows.
But Jesus also gives us a warning. If we let our hearts remain empty after being cleansed, if we do not fill them with God’s presence, the darkness can return even stronger. The kingdom of God must not only visit us; it must dwell in us.
So today’s readings invite us to vigilance — not fear, but readiness. The kingdom is not just coming; it is here, in every act of mercy, every moment we choose light over darkness.
Let us open our hearts, not only to be freed by Christ, but to let His kingdom truly reign within us — so that through us, the world may glimpse the light that no darkness can overcome.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 