Father Help Us, Send Some Guidance from Above - Part IV

Thy kingdom come…

The “kingdom” here is obviously the “Kingdom of Heaven.”  But that’s a tricky term to take at face value.  “The Kingdom” was here on earth when Jesus was made man.  “The Kingdom” comes alive when we hear the Gospel proclaimed at Mass.  “The Kingdom” has come in Christ’s death & resurrection.  “The Kingdom” has been coming into our midst ever since the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.  So why do we pray that God’s kingdom should come to us?

St. Cyprian suggests that it may be that the “Kingdom” refers to Christ, himself, who we desire in our daily lives, so we should ask for the “Kingdom” to come to us in the form of Christ:  “For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.”  That may be a cool side thought, but it seems that this 2^nd petition of the Lord’s Prayer refers to the final coming of God’s reign through the return of Christ Jesus at the end of time.

When we stop and think about it in those terms, we might be a little more hesitant with this line.  If we’re praying for Jesus to come again, we need to be ready to face the consequences that come along with that.  Ever see those bumper stickers that say “Jesus is coming…look busy”?  Well, this petition is sort of reminiscent of that idea.  We’re asking that Jesus would fulfill his promise and come again one day, but what that implies is that we’re confident enough to think that we’re actually READY for that.  I don’t know about you, but I’m rarely in any shape to get a front row seat to the Parousia (Greek term meaning “arrival” but used in the Catholic faith with a capital letter to refer to Christ’s second coming…impressive word to know). 

Remember, this whole “Lord’s Prayer” did come straight from Jesus, himself.  He said, “This is how you are to pray.”  He didn’t say, “Here’s an easy way to pray so you can get whatever you want with no work on your part aside from just saying the words.”  It’s a dangerous prayer, and the words “Thy kingdom come” are three of the most powerful in it.  Almost as powerful as the next petition: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  WOAH!  Big “ask” there…we’ll check that one out next post.