Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
The key is for us to become believers and faithful followers like the disciples. When we open our hearts to Jesus with genuine faith, His words gradually become clearer to us. Many of us fail to understand the deeper meaning of His parables because we are hesitant to believe fully and to entrust our lives completely to Him. Faith is the key that unlocks the treasures of God's truth hidden within His Word.
Take,
for example, our Sunday obligation to participate in Holy Mass. We all know
that every Catholic is called to gather with the Lord and His people every
Sunday. It is more than fulfilling an obligation; it is a sacred invitation to
encounter Jesus in His Word, in the Holy Eucharist, and in the community of
believers.
But
do we always make ourselves available, even for just one hour on the Lord's
Day? Sundays belong to the Lord, yet how often do our many worldly concerns, responsibilities,
and distractions take precedence over our time with Him? When we allow other
priorities to crowd Him out, we also miss the many graces He lovingly desires
to pour into our hearts.
Yet
whenever we choose to make time for Jesus, something beautiful begins to happen
within us. As we listen to Him with humble and trusting hearts, He gently opens
our minds and hearts to the truths of our faith.
The
Holy Spirit enlightens us to understand the hidden messages of His parables,
not merely with our intellect but with hearts transformed by His grace. In
knowing Jesus more deeply, we also grow in loving Him more faithfully, and our
personal relationship with Him becomes stronger each day.
Let
us, therefore, continually ask Jesus to increase our faith and to give us
hearts that are eager to seek Him above all else. At the same time, let us
faithfully do our part by living according to the teachings and discipline of
the Church and by remaining steadfast in prayer, the sacraments, and the
reading of God's Word.
As
we do, we will discover that God never allows sincere hearts to seek Him in
vain. He will fill us with countless graces, including the priceless gift of
understanding His Word more deeply and living it more faithfully each day.
May
we never allow the noise of the world to drown out the voice of the Good
Shepherd, who continues to speak to us through His parables and through every
page of Sacred Scripture. Every time we choose Jesus, every time we place Him
above our busy schedules and worldly concerns, our hearts become more receptive
to His truth, His wisdom, and His transforming love.
Today, Jesus once again invites us to draw near to Him. Will we continue to let the cares of this world keep us from hearing His voice, or will we make Him the first priority in our lives, trusting that only He can open our hearts to the fullness of His truth and lead us into the abundant life He longs to share with us?—Marino J. Dasmarinas
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