The disciples approached Jesus and said,
Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?
He said to them in reply,
Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
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.
— Matthew 13:10-17
The peace of the Lord be with you. Faith is not something we acquire; it is a gift from God. Like all of God’s gifts, faith is given freely and it is available to everyone. Like any gift, it must be accepted, cherished, and nurtured for its true value to be realized.
Jesus tells us the gift of faith will help us to have senses that allow us to perceive the mysteries of God and to see how God is actively at work in our world today. To see, hear, and feel in this way is a true blessing. It is a blessing because there is nothing more real than God, so the eyes of faith allow us to see God everywhere we turn. In these times, I find this is to be a great source of comfort.
So today Lord, please give us the grace to see with the eyes of faith. Eyes that allow us to see you going before us, leading us to Your promised land — our true, everlasting home. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.