of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has will be given
more; and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived
of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look and
do not see; they hear; but they do not listen or understand.
In them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: However much you hear, you do
not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive. For the heart of this
people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were
to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would
turn back, and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the
things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they
did not hear them.
Reflect
When I was a little girl, Sundays and major holidays were a big deal. We would dress
up in our nicest clothes and go to Mass as a family. Often we would cap off the day
with a special meal or a trip to get ice cream. Something similar is happening in today’s
first reading. God tells Moses that he is going to show his glory to the people of Israel,
so they prepare themselves for this moment and then stand at the foot of Mount Sinai
while God makes his presence known. In more recent years, we seem to have lost this
sense of wonder and awe in God’s presence. We are casual about the opportunity to
worship God and to receive him in the Eucharist. We treat this precious moment as a
task as mundane as doing the laundry or the grocery shopping. We fail to appreciate
the privilege and the beauty of the opportunity to receive Christ in our hearts. We fail
to make ourselves ready for this most holy guest. May we renew our love for this holy
mystery.
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