In the opening verse of the Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do You speak to the crowd in parables?” This question invites us into a deeper appreciation of parables in Jesus’ evangelizing ministry. A parable is a type of “comparison”; it can be a story, a metaphor, or a simile drawn from ordinary human life or nature that is used by Jesus to make a religious point.
In the New Testament we often read phrases such as “The Kingdom of heaven is like…” and “To what shall I compare…” Jesus speaks in this way to introduce his parables. He begins with something familiar, then he leads us into a deeper spiritual truth. To comprehend Jesus’ message our hearts must be open; we must cooperate with God’s grace, because we cannot understand Jesus’ message by our human efforts alone. Today Jesus concludes by telling us that we should rejoice because our eyes have seen, our ears have heard, and our hearts have accepted “knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven.”
Let us thank the Lord—daily—for the gift of faith that we possess!
Gospel • MATTHEW 13:10-17
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 heart 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.”
SOURCE: “366 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.