2816 In the New Testament, the word basileia can be translated by “kingship” (abstract noun), “kingdom” (concrete noun) or “reign” (action noun). The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is brought near in the Word incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst.
The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to his Father:
It may even be . . . that the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.86
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Through pious eyes, we can glimpse at the kingdom that is already at hand, and see the holiness that already exists right here and now, even if sometimes those same eyes are filled with tears due to all of the decay that has been brought about by man’s sinfulness, and yet we still proceed with a heart filled with hope. We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!
“But piety is not naiveté, and impiety sees wrongly. As the pious walk along the valley floor, they see evil but know the dawn will appear and be triumphant. Their penetrating glance of faith captures luminous rays hidden from the human retina. The impious see evil and now that goodness does not always win. They contemplate how by late afternoon the sky will darken, and soon the night’s firmament will be void of star.” –Mary’s Mantle Consecration.