Then He was questioned by the Pharisees: When does the kingdom of God arrive? And in response, He said to them: The kingdom of God arrives unobserved. (Lk 17:20)
Ἐπερωτηθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν Φαρισαίων πότε ἔρχεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς καὶ εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἔρχεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ παρατηρήσεως.
interrogatus autem a Pharisaeis quando venit regnum Dei respondit eis et dixit non venit regnum Dei cum observatione.
One can look forward to big breakthroughs and key moments in life. However, real changes happen constantly, unnoticed, and sometimes even casually. The word παρατήρησις appears only in today’s pericope and does not even mean to notice but to look carefully. By looking for extraordinary Divine interventions in our lives, we may miss the Holy Spirit who is there. As the proverb says, you can’t see the forest from behind the trees.
