Thursday of 16h Week, even numbered year

"The disciples asked Jesus ’Why do you talk to them in parables?’

Jesus announces clearly : the Kingdom has been revealed to hearts that are well disposed to receive it, whereas for others it is hidden because of their incredulous hearts.

The truth irritates people with hardened hearts and this irritation will cause people to become even more hardened to the extent of becoming blinded.

In sending Jesus into the world, God wants to save sinners but they couldn’t believe because they didn’t want to believe.

God knew beforehand how the people was going to react, however he lets them free to decide for themselves.

God proves just how very patient He is towards sinners because he doesn’t want any single one to perish.

The parables bring to light the deep dispositions in each person. It is the time for fragility, an so our gaze must become more and more delicate.

God’s Love wants to take more and more place in us, and so each day we need to stay God’s Infinite Love so it can grow. God has the desire to see everybody come to know truth.

In order to do this, he reveals it as clearly as possible, using illustrations if necessary. This is what Jesus did when teaching in parables.

Those who don’t grasp God’s revelation cannot attribute their misunderstanding just to themselves.

Jesus speaks in parable to help people to take hold of certain, spiritual realities. Giving his teaching by parable, Jesus does nothing but illustrate by a familiar picture but they don’t understand because they have chosen to close their heart and eyes to things of God.

" The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfilled :

’Listen and listen, but never understand!

This peoples’ heart as grown dull, their ears dulled; they have shut their ease tight

To avoid using their eyes to see,

Their eyes to hear, their hearts to understand, changing their ways,

And being healed by me."

Jesus speaks in parables to help people take hold of certain realties of the spiritual world.

In giving his teaching by a parable, Jesus does nothing else but illustrate by a familiar story the unusual message of the Kingdom.

The illustration permits to take hold of the deep meaning of a particular truth speaking of earthly realities that we can perceive with our senses, we shall be able to believe in heavenly things that escape our senses.

Jesus takes into account our limited capacity of understanding spiritual realities. This is the reason why he uses earthly illustrations.

Jesus knows that if he gives us a spiritual teaching we wouldn’t be able to understand it. And so he speaks with illustrations that take place one earth and which are within our reach.

If we understand these earthly illustrations we shall also be able to understand by analogue what is in the Heart of God.

’But blessed are your eyes because thee, their ears because they hear!’

Jesus desires we know the Truth he reveals it to us by illustrations borrowed from nature or daily life. He speaks of birds, flowers, the sun and all these things we are familiar with so as to help us understand the Kingdom of God. It is clear that the parables aim at revealing and explaining heavenly realities. But the devil blinds mans’ eyes by the veil of pride, wealth and dependence. Satan puts a screen between God and so that they don’t see the splendour of Christ’s Glory in order to be saved.

Jesus declares that those who have their hearts open for the Kingdom are blessed.

We do in fact need to know that as for the contemplation of the fruits of nature there is within ourselves a necessary path, for God is drawing us towards an even greater happiness.

We need to contemplate the Source of Living Waters of the Heart of Jesus and of Mary which roots us so deeply in the Love God gives to us.

Heaven is already here on earth through small flashes of Light. This Love of God is going to re-enforce our links with Him even more strongly, as well as the links that unite us together.

The disciples receive this Love, the treasures of the Heart of God are given ’Blessed are you’

’At the time of Tenderness I have not forgotten you’ says God.

God alone is Love and He alone has us love.