An Apologetical Explanation of the

Kingdom of God

What do we mean by the “Kingdom of God”?

Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”  (Mk 1:15)

The Kingdom of God refers not only to Heaven but also to the era of peace, joy, and justice ushered in by Christ and carried on as a “work in progress” by the members of his faithful, the Church.  In a very real way, the Kingdom of God is the Church herself.

The proclamation of the Kingdom of God was the central theme to Christ’s teaching.  Through parables, he gave his disciples images of various aspects of the kingdom and how his followers were to live in it.  His teaching makes it clear the kingdom he established is not an earthly kingdom but rather an intimate communion between God and his people.  “In the word, in the works, and in the presence of Christ, this kingdom was clearly open to the view of men” (LG 5).  This intimate communion is realized through Baptism and membership in his Body, the Church.  (Cf. CCC 670, 782, 1427, 1989)

When describing how his kingdom would affect the world, Christ stressed that his faithful must act as a leaven in the world, transforming it and sanctifying it from within as a tiny amount of yeast leavens a large measure of flour.  Like a mustard seed, the Church began small but grew to be the largest of trees, spreading throughout the entire world.  Christ established the kingdom, but it will never be completely fulfilled here on earth.  Thus, it remains our sacred obligation to help build the Kingdom of God in our world.  (Cf. CCC 764, 2660, 2832)

The Church continues the mission of Christ by calling people to repentance and proclaiming the kingdom’s existence.  Just as Christ’s divinity was veiled under his humanity while on earth, the Kingdom of God stands veiled under the appearance of a merely human institution, the Church.  Only by faith are the faithful able to see the divine nature of the Church, which will be veiled until the glory of Christ is made manifest to the entire world at the end of time.  (Cf.  CCC 770)

In the Lord’s Prayer, “thy kingdom come” makes two requests of Christ: to assist us in building the Kingdom of God on earth and hastening his Second Coming at the end of time.  (Cf. CCC 2818)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 567 and 1060.

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