July 24, 2025: Blessed Are Your Eyes and Ears

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Gospel: Matthew 13:10–17

Thursday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

Begin with a Story

Once, a tourist visited an art museum in Europe. In one of the rooms hung a painting of Christ crucified. While most people walked by, snapping photos or glancing quickly, an old janitor stood silently in front of it with tears in his eyes.

The tourist asked him, “Why are you crying?”

He replied, “Because I see something here others don't. He died for me.”

The painting was the same. But the eyes of the heart made all the difference.

Scripture Reflection – Matthew 13:10–17

In today’s Gospel, the disciples ask Jesus a bold question:

“Why do You speak to them in parables?”

Jesus answers that parables reveal truth to some and conceal it from others. To those open and hungry for God, a parable opens doors. But to the stubborn and self-satisfied, it becomes a closed mystery.

Jesus quotes Isaiah:

“They look but do not see. They hear but do not understand.”

This is not about eyesight or hearing loss. This is about spiritual blindness and deafness of the heart.

Three Lessons from Today’s Gospel

1. God's Truth is a Gift – Not a Guarantee

Jesus says, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.”
Understanding God’s Word is not a result of intelligence, but of grace and openness.

Some people read the Bible and it changes their lives. Others read the same words and feel nothing. The difference is the disposition of the heart.

Grace is given to the humble, not the proud.

2. Seeing Isn’t Always Believing

Jesus performed miracles, yet many didn’t believe. Why? Because their hearts were closed.

You can sit in church every Sunday and still not change if you’re not listening with your soul. You can hear God’s Word but resist letting it disturb your comfort.

Faith is not about information—it’s about transformation.

3. We Are Blessed When We Truly See and Hear

Jesus says something powerful to His disciples:

“Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

Think about it: We have the Bible in our homes, the Sacraments available, priests to guide us, the ability to pray freely. Do we realize how blessed we are?

Many saints longed to see what we see. Many people in history would have given anything to hear Jesus speak. And yet we sometimes take it for granted.

Practical Application

So how do we make sure our eyes and ears are truly open?

  • Daily prayer – not just routine, but heart-to-heart.

  • Reading the Word of God slowly, asking: “Lord, what are You saying to me?”

  • Confession – to clean our hearts and restore spiritual sight.

  • Avoid spiritual laziness – refusing to grow or change dulls our vision.

The more we open our hearts to God, the more light we receive. The more we resist, the darker it becomes.

Conclusion

Dear friends, Jesus does not hide His truth to punish anyone. He speaks in parables to awaken hearts. The question is: are we truly listening?

Today, let us pray:

“Lord, open my eyes to see You. Open my ears to hear You. And soften my heart to receive You.”

Let it never be said of us:

“They looked, but did not see. They listened, but did not understand.”

Instead, let us rejoice with Christ when He says:

“Blessed are your eyes, and blessed are your ears!"

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