Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

In this Gospel passage, Jesus explains why he speaks in parables. He says that the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to his disciples, but not to others. He uses parables to challenge people's understanding and to open their hearts to the gift of revelation. Understanding God and his kingdom is something that is granted as a gift from God. It is not something that can be discovered or analyzed. Jesus desires that we open our eyes, listen intently, and understand with our hearts so that we may be converted and healed. Revelation is the unearned gift of God, generously revealing himself to us and showing us the path to life and joy. Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel. On this Thursday of the sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, our Gospel comes from Matthew chapter thirteen, verses ten through seventeen. The disciples approached Jesus and said, Why do you speak to them 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, hear, but do not listen or understand. This 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, least 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 you see, and your ears, because you 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. This gospel, and I am guessing now, maybe even presuming wrongly, is probably somewhat obscure, challenging for most of us. Still, it says something very important, it seems to me anyway, about the nature, once again of revelation, how God communicates himself to us. In responding to his disciples about his reason for using parables, Jesus says this, it's somewhat strange. He says, because knowledge of the mysteries, the secrets, you might say, of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. Oh my, there's a couple of issues here. Who, first of all, are the you and the them here? Well concretely, the you are the disciples, the them are the rest of the crowd. So understanding the kingdom, its mysteries, its secrets, is granted to the disciple. It is not to say, though, that it is withheld purposely and intentionally by God from the others. Rather it reminds us that one can't know God from the outside. You have to come in, live in relationship with Jesus, walk with him on the way, if you are to lay hold of his teaching. This helps us to get our heads around what Jesus is saying, too, with that word granted. It can almost seem, in some ways, that Jesus uses parables in order to confuse people. He says, I speak to them in parables because they look but do not see, and hear but do not listen or understand. But recall what we have already shared about the danger of parables, their purpose. Let me offer to you something from the New Testament scholar, R. T. France, in this regard. I think it really affirms what we have already reflected on in relationship to the parables. He says this, quote, In a situation where some people are open to truth and some are not, parables, as imaginative challenge rather than simple propositions, are an appropriate way to communicate the new ideas. For some they will break through the barriers to understanding, and to such people, like the disciples, the secrets of the kingdom of heaven will be given. You see, friends, the understanding of God and God's kingdom is something granted. It comes as a gift and at the initiative of God. God in the mystery, the deep reality of his inner self, is not something we can know or in the same way dismiss on our own accord. We don't, in other words, discover God. We don't either, let me add as an important aside, analyze the arguments for God and thereby conclude he isn't this or that or even at all. No, you see, God reveals himself to us. It is granted as gift. And yet, as with any gift, it must be received and embraced in order to possess it. And so, Jesus shares his father and the kingdom with the crowd in ways that are becoming inspiring, funny at times, thought-provoking, all in order to open hearts to the gift of revelation. How much Jesus desires that we do indeed open our eyes and see, listen intently and hear, so that we might understand with our hearts and be converted and he will heal us. So again, this is the nature of revelation. It is the gift, the unearned gift of God, generously revealing himself to us and revealing to his path to life and joy. Our free access to this gift is in the eager embracing of it, peeling away the words and deeds of Jesus, like the wrapping paper from a present, by living in close friendship with him, becoming his disciple and finding life. Lord Jesus Christ, thank you so much for sharing your heart with us. Thank you indeed that by drawing us into friendship with you, our eyes are indeed blessed, our ears are indeed blessed because we see and we hear you. What a precious gift to hear your words, to pray your words, reflect on them and to have our hearts warmed and stirred up, troubled sometimes, set on edge, all because you in your generosity, your love for us, keep coming toward us to pour out your gifts for us. Oh Lord Jesus, for all of those who struggle to hear and to see, we pray right now, especially amongst our friends and family, that all, all people would finally have eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank you so much friends. What a wonderful joy to share the gospel with you again.