Years ago, when I was teaching a tenth grade CCD class one of our students asked our pastor to describe the meaning of the Kingdom of God. To be honest, I don’t remember what he said, but it is one of the truths of our faith that many of us have difficulty explaining. When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee he preached to all “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
Pope Benedict (2007, chapter three), writes that Jesus’ announcement is the core of his words and works, and that the phrase “Kingdom of God” occurs 122 times in the New Testament. To help us understand Jesus’ message, he discusses the church Fathers’ interpretations of the term. The first view is that Jesus is saying that God is present in him — that he is God’s presence. A second view is to think of the Kingdom as located in man’s inner being, because God reigns in every holy man. Finally, the third interpretation is to think of the Church as the Kingdom of God on Earth.
Pope Benedict writes that to put it more plainly, “when Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God, he is quite simply proclaiming God, and proclaiming him to be the living God, who is able to act concretely in the world and in history and is even now so acting” (page 55). So, it is not only in Jesus’ physical presence that the Kingdom is located, it is also in his action, as accomplished through the Holy Spirit (page 60). He explains that our understanding of the Kingdom of God depends on our understanding of the relationship between the Kingdom of God and Christ. Pope Benedict concludes by stating that “the Kingdom of God is a theme that runs through the whole of Jesus’ preaching” and can only be understood by considering his preaching as a whole (page 62).
Ratzinger, J. Pope Benedict XVI. (2007). Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Doubleday.
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