12 November 2020
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
“Where is the kingdom of God,” the disciples asked? At the time of Jesus, the coming of the kingdom meant different things for different people. For some, the coming of the Kingdom would inaugurate a return to political and regional power for Israel experienced during the Davidic kingdom. For others, such as the zealots, the kingdom implied a political revolt against the pagan Roman authorities. For Jesus, the kingdom had a different meaning, a meaning primarily identified with the revolution or “re-turning” of the human heart towards God. Those interested in the encyclical tradition of the Catholic Church can see this idea of personal conversion as the firm foundation for social justice and world peace as persistent theme from the letters of Leo XIII (d. 1903) to the current pontiff. Ignatius insisted on the starting point for spiritual progress. His insistence in the correct ordering of things may be seen in the First Principle and Foundation that establishes the trajectory for the right relationship between Creator and creatures. A quote from scholastic philosophy states the matter clearly, or at least for those who know Latin: Nemo dat quod non habet –No one gives what he does not have. For Ignatius we need to have the Kingdom of God, the presence of God, and our lives directed towards that same God before we can spread the kingdom.