July 24, 2025 // Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 13:10-17
Reflect on the Word //
When I first began to develop a relationship with the Lord, talking to Him wasn’t something that was intimidating or difficult for me. What scared me was the possibility of what His response might be. I had heard about His tenderness and kindness, but I was still skeptical. At the time, whenever I read Scripture, I usually found the Lord’s words to be harsh and intense. I had yet to recognize His Heart toward me.
In today’s Gospel, we read that it was difficult for the crowds to receive Jesus’ voice, because of their hardened hearts and their closed minds (see Matthew 13:15). Jesus spoke to them in parables, which was a way of speaking that would only allow those with faith to understand. Jesus’ quoting of the Scripture from Isaiah might sound intimidating, but it is to remind us that we need to open our hearts to Him: “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” (Matthew 13:15).
Jesus’ desire with His words is not to shame us, but to open our hearts to His Heart in faith. When we allow ourselves to be consumed by the Heart of Jesus, we then begin to understand the flame of delight that burns in His Heart for us. If His Heart burns for us, then His words have to be an outward expression of that love. His words come to bring us life, not destruction, and He says to us when we have faith, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear” (Matthew 13:16).
When we listen to His words with faith in His tenderness and love, little by little, we will be able to recognize exactly how He speaks to our hearts. Your soul is unique, and He has a unique way of speaking to your heart. He knows that shame doesn’t win our hearts. He doesn’t desire to win your heart with harshness, but with a pure, everlasting, and burning love.
Relate to the Lord // Open your spiritual ears to Jesus now. What is He saying in your heart?
Bella Rol is a college student from Monterey, CA and she’s passionate about finding the Lord in the simple things. She was a contributing author to New Wine and GIFT: Eucharistic Study for Teens. In her free time, Bella can be found laughing with her three brothers, enjoying a foamy latte, journaling, doodling, contemplating Jesus in the Eucharist, taking a long walk, or asking Saint Joseph for his intercession.
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