The Kingdom of God in the words and miracles of Jesus

In the Third Luminous Mystery, we contemplate the Kingdom of God in the words and miracles of Jesus.

From the Gospel of Luke (11:20)
If it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

Commentary by Chromatius of Aquileia:
The Teacher of life and the heavenly Physician, Christ the Lord, came for this very purpose: to instruct men with His teachings and to heal the ills of body and soul with divine medicine.

Meditation 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (…) All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. (…) And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-4, 14)

Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of the Father who became incarnate in human time and space. Besides being the incarnation of the Word, Jesus proclaimed words of life throughout His public life, especially in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, which summarizes His doctrine and is considered the Magna Carta of Christianity.

In the words of Jesus, the heart of the Kingdom of God is revealed: a kingdom of justice, love, mercy, and truth. He came to announce that this Kingdom is already among us, manifested in His person, His teachings, and His actions. Every word of Jesus, from the Beatitudes to the parables, outlines the way to live in this Kingdom.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). By this, He is not referring to a distant or a future kingdom but to a present reality accessible to all those who live according to the principles of humility, compassion, and justice.

Meditation 2
For man as an individual being, Jesus presents Himself as the only standard of humanity, the one we must measure ourselves against in order to be truly human, for He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

For man as a social being and for society in general, He introduces the Kingdom of God as a social project—a more just, fraternal, inclusive, and peaceful society, or as it is defined in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.


The Kingdom of God has already been among us from the moment Christ entered human history. However, it is not yet present in its fullness. It is up to us, as the Church, to continue expanding the Kingdom of God until Christ is all in all. In this sense, the Church is to the world as yeast is to dough, transforming this world into the Kingdom of God.

The miracles are the first signs of the Kingdom of God—a new order where health, justice, and peace prevail. They manifest the reality of the Kingdom, where there is no pain, suffering, or death. By healing the sick, raising the dead, and performing other wonders, Jesus reveals what the Kingdom of God represents for humanity.

Prayer
Lord God,
You who sent Your Son, Jesus Christ,
as the Word made flesh,
we thank You for the revelation of Your Kingdom among us.

May the miracles He performed
remind us of Your infinite mercy
and Your desire to heal and restore each of us
both in body and soul.
May we see in every act of love and compassion
the manifestation of the Kingdom that is already present among us.

Help us, Lord, to live according to the principles of Your Kingdom,
embracing humility, justice, and peace.
May the Beatitudes that Jesus proclaimed
be the light that guides our steps, and may our lives
reflect the grace and truth that only He can give.

Inspire us to be the yeast in the dough,
promoting transformation in our communities and in the world,
so that all may come to know Your love and Your will.

Lord, may Your Church be a visible sign of Your Kingdom,
a place where all are welcomed, and where justice and fraternity can flourish.

We trust in You, for we know that with Your help
we can be instruments of peace and love.
May Your will be done on earth as it is already done in heaven. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

The Wedding at Cana

In the Second Luminous Mystery, we contemplate the Wedding at Cana.

From the Gospel of John (2:1-5)
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’

Commentary by Faustus of Riez, a 5th century bishop:
In Galilee, through the works of Christ, water is transformed into wine; the law disappears and grace emerges; the shadow dissipates, and reality appears; material things are confronted with spiritual ones; the old observance gives way to the New Testament.

Meditation 1
At the wedding at Cana, Jesus performs the first transubstantiation by changing the substance of water into the substance of wine, foreshadowing the other transubstantiation where He will change the substance of wine into the substance of His Blood.

The miracle at Cana is a figure and symbol of what takes place daily on our altars. There is an admirable connection between the first miracle, which initiates His ministry, and the one that concludes it: the Last Supper.

The wine at Cana, which becomes the finest, symbolizes the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus takes the wine and offers it as His Blood, establishing the new covenant. The miracle at Cana anticipates this sacrifice and the reality of the Eucharist, where the wine is transformed into the Blood of Christ, which purifies and redeems us.

Meditation 2
Although Jesus said that His hour had not yet come, His mother did not hesitate to intervene without being asked, on behalf of the couple in distress on their wedding day. She knows our needs in advance, and is ready to present them subtly but vigorously to Her Son: “They have no wine.” In return, she only asks us to “Do whatever He tells you.”

In this passage, Mary reveals herself as the prototype of every believer: attentive to concrete needs, she presents them to Jesus and encourages those around her to put their trust in Him. The Wedding at Cana provides an opportunity to contemplate the Holy God, who graciously accepts our prayers and desires: He is the God of the “opportune time,” who knows how to give each one what is most needed.

At Cana in Galilee, Mary saw a need and sought to resolve it, pushing Jesus into His public ministry when He had not yet planned to start. Jesus, obedient to His Heavenly Father, also obeys His Mother, even as an adult. This obedience is important for us because it establishes Mary, His Mother, as the intercessor of all graces.

Prayer
Lord Jesus,
who at the Wedding in Cana turned water into wine,
reveal to us the power of Your presence in our lives.
Just as Your first miracle brought joy and hope,
may we experience the transformation that only You can bring.

Most Blessed Mother,
model of trust and intercession,
teach us to look attentively to the needs of others
and to present them to Your Son with the same trust you had.
Help us to be instruments of peace and joy
in the lives of those around us.

Lord, make us servants attentive to the needs of others,
willing to follow Your will,
to put Your words into practice,
and to live in communion with our brothers and sisters.

May the Eucharist become
the new wine of Your grace in our lives,
purifying and renewing us each day
so that we can reflect Your light in the world. Amen

Fr. Jorge Amaro,  IMC