I write these “To Such As These” posts every now and then to explain some aspect of the Catholic faith to children. I try to use simple language so you can just read it directly to them instead of having to put it into your own words! The category name is inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”
Today, quite fittingly, we will be looking at the Kingdom of Heaven.
If you have any topics you’d like me to cover in this category, pop them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!
This Sunday at Mass, we’ll be reading about the Kingdom of Heaven.
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven to help people understand what it’s about. We hear about the kingdom of heaven at other times, too, like when Jesus says “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Every time we pray the Our Father, we say “thy kingdom come”. But what is the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven?
Because God uses concepts we can understand to relate Heavenly ideas to us, it might be helpful to take a look at what a kingdom is in Earthly terms first.
A kingdom as we understand it on Earth, is everything that is ruled over by a king (or queen), who is sometimes called a monarch. The monarch has the final say on the rules of the kingdom and everything in the kingdom ultimately belongs to the monarch.
When we talk about God’s kingdom, St Paul writes in the letter to the Romans, that the kingdom of God is not something physical like the kingdoms of the world. He says, “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17). This means that the way that we live can bring the kingdom to others! If we are righteous, or do what is right by God, and we keep His peace and joy shining within us, this is us living in the kingdom of God! By doing this, and loving others and praying for them, we can help the kingdom grow.
When we talk about God’s kingdom, it’s already begun. When Jesus came to us, He brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. And we know that although He ascended into Heaven, He left us His presence in the gift of the Eucharist. And after He went up to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to become good representatives of the kingdom, like we just talked about.
So how can we ask God “thy kingdom come” if it’s already here? St Augustine points out that we are asking for His kingdom to come to us. The Church teaches that we are asking for the final, glorious appearance of the kingdom, when Christ comes again – and what a day that will be!
Talking points
- Is Jesus the King of your whole life? What can you do to give Him more power in your life?
- What are you doing to represent God’s kingdom to the people around you who don’t know Him or don’t love Him as they should? Can you think of other things you can do to help grow the kingdom of God?
- What do you think it will be like when Jesus comes again? What can you do to prepare?
- Let’s pray the Our Father together.
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 