Find me on Amazon:
Amazon UK | Amazon USA
Kingdom of Heaven, City of God is a series of reflections on the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus, read through the central theme of the Kingdom of God. From the first proclamation of the Kingdom in the Gospels to its fulfilment in Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, this book follows the thread of the Kingdom through the whole of his mission.
Drawing closely on Scripture, these meditations explore how the Kingdom is revealed in parables, in miracles, in acts of mercy, and in the call to repentance and faith. The Kingdom is not presented as an abstract idea, but as a reality made present in Christ, and one which takes shape in the life of the believer.
The reflections also look toward the book of Revelation, where the Kingdom is seen in its fullness — the final vision of the City of God, in which God dwells with his people.
Written in a spirit of prayer and careful reading of the Gospels, this book invites the reader to follow Christ, to understand his message, and to seek the Kingdom he proclaims.
Saint John Fisher (1469–1535), a scholar, bishop and martyr during the English Reformation, is remembered for his unshakable fidelity to the Catholic Church and the sacramental life of the Church. His Commentary on the Penitential Psalms, written before his imprisonment, is rich in theological clarity and pastoral care. This particular reflection—focused on the priesthood, atonement, and the mercy of Christ—is a deeply Lenten meditation, inviting the sinner to repentance and trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice [ … ]
To cause scandal is to drive other people away from the path of faith, to cause another person to sin, to withdraw from a life of grace, to cease to believe in redemption in Jesus Christ. This is a terrible sin, and we know that it does not stop there. The evil spreads, and soon it is common practice to denigrate Christianity. We think of the millions upon millions of little ones – and this in ‘Christian countries’ – who have never been introduced to Jesus, and of all the attendant troubles they experience because their spiritual lives have not been fostered. The signs of this spiritual neglect are endemic, while when many people speak against Christianity they do not even know what it is that they are objecting to; they have become in so little time so far removed from what could have been their inheritance, the living faith [ … ]
The young man of today’s Gospel verses is very rich. He has followed the commandments, and yet he and Jesus both know that he is not yet perfect. In addition to what the young man already knows of the Ten Commandments, there is now the possibility of perfection, which is to follow Jesus, to release oneself from the bondsmanship of earthly possessions – to sell it all, give it all to the poor, and follow Jesus. It is a sad tale. The rich young man goes away unhappy. If this is the condition for finding perfection by following Jesus, he cannot do it [ … ]
