The Kingdom of God is the transformation of our lives by the presence of Jesus. In Jesus, the Kingdom of God is fully seen. But, as we surrender our lives more and more to Jesus, the Kingdom of God becomes present in us. In place of self-centeredness, the love of God reigns over human life. It will not be experienced fully in this life but is like a mustard seed which begins small and slowly grows over time, and it will only fully reach its completion in the next life. (Which, even though it is called “heaven” includes the transformation of the “earth”; as Revelations 21 states, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.”)
Each of us, with the unique gifts that each has, is called to further establish God’s kingdom. We are like the 72 disciples, to whom Jesus said, “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,...cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’” (Luke 10). The laity (those who are not ordained or religious) build the kingdom of God in a very real way. All the various ways that God wishes humans to live in this world can be brought into God’s kingdom: how we do business, raise our children, exercise politics; how we are doctors, maintenance workers, software designers, and every human work. God desires us to live lives in this world as people who are transformed by the presence of Jesus.