“‘For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His Day. But first He must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.'”
Mass Readings – MassTimes.org – TheCatholicDirectory.com
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
When a Pharisee asks Jesus when the Kingdom of God will arrive, Jesus responds that the Kingdom of God already is among them:
Jesus said in reply, ‘The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, “Look, here it is,” or, “There it is.” For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.’
Jesus is the Son of God, one of the Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity. His Presence among them is a Divine Presence, part of the Divine Plan to set in motion the building up of the Kingdom of God like the cultivation of a garden.
Listening to Christ and following His Guidance plants the Seeds of the Kingdom of God in the heart, mind and soul. As they grow, the Kingdom is built up through conversion, holiness, and good acts taken in accord with God’s Will.
(At the same time, of course, there are those who fail to recognize Him, or who fail to listen and act upon what He says. When they ignore Christ, it is a missed opportunity, and ultimately at their peril.)
After responding to the Pharisee, Jesus directs His next statements to His Disciples. He tells His Disciples that there will be a time when He is no longer visible to them. In those times, there will be those who will claim that He has returned, but that those claims should not be followed. Later, when Christ returns, it will be sudden, like a flash of lightning. Yet, in the meantime, Christ cautions His Disciples that He will endure suffering and be rejected by that generation.
Then He said to His Disciples, ‘The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there He is,’ or ‘Look, here He is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His Day. But first He must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.’
Recall how, elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus tells the Disciples that, even in His apparent absence, He will be with us always, even unto the end of the age. Yet He also cautions that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, where we know neither the day nor the hour. And here, He says that it will be like a flash of lightning.
So we are left with the need to be appreciative and welcoming to Christ’s Presence in our midst, and the encounters we are offered with Him through Holy Mother Church, the Sacraments, Holy Scripture, opportunities to serve Him in others, and the Holy Spirit, while also being vigilant preparing for His ultimate return at the Second Coming.
