Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

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.”  MT 13:10-17

​There is a big difference between listening and hearing.  Listening means you hear, reflect, understand, then do or change. Hearing is just noise without reflection.  Today, Jesus teaches us that the disciples had the power to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven.  The mysteries are revealed with Jesus’s ministry.  The crowds represent those who do not believe, so they do not understand.  They have already been taught in clear language from Jesus but do not believe Him.  We, too, have the power to listen, understand, and change.  Through Baptism we receive the Holy Spirit to help guide us in the Scriptures.  The Church magisterium (teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church), Scripture scholars, saints, all have been guided by the Holy Spirit to interpret the Scriptures and we can learn from them to gain knowledge of Jesus’s teachings.  Our spiritual powers of intellect, memory, and will with the guidance of the Holy Spirit help us to see, hear, and understand.  How many days have gone by where we do not seek out Jesus’s message in Scripture, talk to Him, receive Him and His mercy and love?  If the true desire of every heart is to seek God and get to heaven, then we must first learn about who God is revealed to us by Jesus Christ.  What is more important?  ”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.”  You and I have the power to see and hear as a gift from God through the grace of Baptism and the Holy Spirit.  Don’t waste your gift!  It is your road map to guide you to everlasting peace and joy!

Today’s challenge: Reflect on the parables.  See and hear what Christ is trying to teach you in your life.  Be transformed.
Make a daily habit of reflecting on the Scriptures.

Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO