GOSPEL READING OF THE DAY:
Matthew 13:10-17
July 24, 2014
The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you
speak to them in parables?"
11 And he answered them, "To you it has been given to
know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will
have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken
away.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing
they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled
that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will
indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their
ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should
see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears,
for they hear.
17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous
people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you
hear, and did not hear it.
REFLECTION
In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus
reminded his disciples to always be keen and discerning. He spoke in parables. And to understand these parables demand more
than just mere seeing and listening; what it demands is “discernment.”
Learning how to discern God’s movement is
perhaps St. Ignatius’ greatest contribution to Christian spirituality. Discerning, according to Michael Ivens, SJ,
is to “recognize the action in human consciousness of the Holy Spirit.” The gift of discernment allows us to make good
decisions which are aligned with what God truly desires from us. And this gift of discernment is honed through
the Consciousness Examen: an Ignatian prayer method of discerning God’s active
presence in our most ordinary life experiences.
IGNATIAN VALUE: Discernment
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