The Kingdom in Your Living Room: Reconciliation as the Breaking Dawn

Phlm 7-20, Psalm: 145, Lk 17:20-25

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Where is the Kingdom of God? Jesus tells the Pharisees it is not something you can observe, not something you can point to and say, “There it is!” The Kingdom is not a place on a map or a date on a calendar. And yet, it is near. It is among you. It is breaking in whenever hearts are reconciled, when slaves become brothers, when enemies become friends.

Saint Paul’s letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of reconciliation. Onesimus was a runaway slave. He had wronged his master Philemon and fled. In the providence of God, he encountered Paul in prison and became a Christian. Now Paul sends him back—not as a slave, but as a brother. “I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment… I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.” Paul does not command Philemon. He appeals to love. “Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother.”

This is the Kingdom of God. It is not a military conquest or a political revolution. It is a master receiving a runaway slave as a brother. It is a heart changed by grace. It is the cross of Christ transforming the most broken human relationships into bonds of love.

Saint Josaphat, whose memory we celebrate today, understood this. He was a bishop who worked tirelessly for the unity of the Church, striving to reconcile Eastern and Western Christians. He faced fierce opposition, and he was martyred for his commitment to unity. He did not seek his own glory. He sought the Kingdom—the Kingdom that is among us when brothers and sisters dwell in unity.

Pope Francis has said, “The Kingdom of God is not a show of power. It is the quiet breaking forth of love and mercy into the world.” Saint John Paul II, reflecting on reconciliation, wrote, “The Kingdom is present wherever human hearts are converted and where relationships are healed.” And Saint Josaphat himself prayed, “Lord, grant that we may be one, as you and the Father are one.”

The Psalmist tells us, “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.” This is the Kingdom: the King who forgives, who welcomes the runaway, who restores the broken. When we forgive, we bring the Kingdom near. When we receive one another as brothers and sisters, we manifest the Kingdom.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Is there an Onesimus in your life—someone who has wronged you and needs to be received as a brother? Is there a Philemon in your life—someone you have wronged and need to return to? The Kingdom of God is not far away. It is in your living room. It is in your workplace. It is in your parish. It breaks in whenever you choose to love instead of judge, to forgive instead of cling to resentment.

Let us not spend our lives looking for signs in the heavens. The sign is standing before us: the Crucified One, the Risen One, the King who reigns from a cross. And His Kingdom is near. It is among us. It is in you.

Saint Josaphat, martyr for unity, pray for us, that we may be builders of reconciliation and witnesses to the Kingdom that is already here. Amen. May God bless you all!