Gospel (Lk 17,20-25) - At that time, the Pharisees asked Jesus: "When will the kingdom of God come?". He answered them, “The kingdom of God does not come in a way that attracts attention, and no one will say, “Here it is,” or, “There it is.” Because, behold, the kingdom of God is among you! He then said to the disciples: «The days will come when you will desire to see even one of the days of the Son of man, but you will not see it. They will say to you: "Here he is", or: "Here he is"; don't go there, don't follow them. For just as lightning flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first it is necessary for him to suffer a lot and be rejected by this generation."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus inaugurates the kingdom of God on earth but not in an “attention-getting” way, that is, not in an imposing and spectacular way. In fact, no one can say "there he is" or "here he is", since it is of a spiritual, internal nature. Jesus is the "new time" of salvation. The kingdom of heaven, that is, the place where love and mercy "reigns", begins exactly with the coming to earth of the Son of God: his healing action and his preaching fight evil which is losing more and more ground until definitive defeat that comes through his death and resurrection. This is why Jesus can say that the kingdom of God "is among you", that is, among those who listen to and put his word into practice. Participation in the kingdom, in this dream of liberation of the world from the power of the devil and evil, also involves suffering and pain, starting with Jesus himself. It is the meaning of the words that Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it over" (Mt 11:12). In short, there is an incessant struggle between good and evil. Jesus has radically defeated evil which nevertheless continues to have its tailwinds. In those days - says Jesus, addressing himself directly to the disciples and no longer to the Pharisees - when the test will be difficult the disciples will want to see "even just one of the days of the Son of Man", that is, to have some consolation. But it won't happen. This does not mean that they must leave the master to follow the false idols that appear on the scene. They must not look for the Messiah "there" or "here". Jesus remains the only Lord and he alone they must follow. The Gospel remains steadfast, it is like the "lightning bolt" that "flickers and shines from one end of the sky to the other"; his proclamation in fact pierces the darkness of the world and reveals the face of Jesus.