Where does God's Kingdom belong?

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe John 18, 33b-37 “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” My kingdom does not belong to this world. Where does it belong? When most of us hear this line, my kingdom does not belong to this world what they hear is “My kingdom is not of this world.” We think that Jesus is making this point that his Kingdom is not here, but it is heaven. It is something that we have to wait for until we die. That is why we have to suffer and go through pain, because we are of God’s Kingdom and it isn’t here yet. That is why Jesus had to suffer on the cross, but his kingdom was not here. And we, his subjects of disciples don’t have power in this world because it isn’t our Kingdom. People use this as an example of why the church should stay out of politics. We shouldn’t talk about racial injustice, global warming, abortion, the right to life or any other issues. No, we should talk about the kingdom of Heaven. We should stick to religious stuff and not get concerned with politics. But that isn’t what Jesus is saying. He doesn’t say, “My kingdom is not of this world.” No, he says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” What does this mean? What is the difference? Jesus isn’t telling us that we don’t belong to this world, Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t speak out against abortion, the right to life, immigration, black lives matter our any other political questions. He doesn’t say we shouldn’t be concerned with global warming or politics in general. We know that Jesus’ kingdom is here as much as it is there. Jesus’ kingdom is other worldly, but it is also this worldly. Jesus’ word has meaning for tomorrow, but also for today, the here and now. No, when Jesus says that his kingdom does not belong to this world, he isn’t saying, “wait for heaven for justice.” No, what he is saying is that the source of his authority is not human but it is divine. God’s kingdom truly is here, today, amongst us and we as his disciples have the authority and responsibility to make that kingdom a reality here and now. All too often there is this thought that the Kingdom of God is yet to come. The world is as bad as it is because Jesus has no authority over the world today. We know that this is not true. We know that Jesus is the King of the Earth as well as Heaven. The Gospels make it clear that the response to the Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Heaven has everything with how we live out our citizenship in this world. Our faith affects how we work, pay, buy, sell and vote. We honor Jesus, our King but being his faithful witnesses today. We are his subjects his disciples today. So we work today to transform this world knowing that this world has its basis in no human truth, but in God’s truth. We listen to God’s voice today, and we testify to his truth. Jesus Christ is King! Viva Cristo Rey!