MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 24 JULY
July 24, 2025
FEAST OF SAINT JAMES THE GREATER, APOSTLE AND MARTYR AND SAINT CHRISTOPHER MARTYR – 25th JULY
July 25, 2025
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
24 JULY, 2025
Matthew 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
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, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
In this passage, Jesus explains why He speaks in parables. His words unveil a profound truth: spiritual insight is a gift given to those who earnestly seek and are open to the Kingdom of God. The disciples are blessed because they have eyes that see and ears that hear—a spiritual perception many others lack. Jesus points to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, emphasizing how people’s hardened hearts and closed minds prevent them from truly understanding God’s message. The parables, then, both reveal and conceal depending on the condition of the hearer’s heart. This challenges us to examine our openness to God’s Word. Are we truly listening, or merely hearing? Are our hearts receptive, or resistant to transformation?
PRAYER
Gracious Lord, thank You for the privilege of hearing Your Word and receiving its mysteries through Your Spirit. Like the disciples, we long to understand the truths of Your Kingdom. Give us hearts that are tender and teachable, eyes that recognize Your presence, and ears that are attuned to Your voice. Remove any hardness or pride that clouds our spiritual vision.
Lord, we confess that at times we’ve heard without truly listening and seen without perceiving. Forgive us for the times we have taken Your Word lightly or allowed distractions to dull its power in our lives. Please awaken our spirits, that we may not miss what You desire to reveal to us.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see the depth of Your love and the richness of Your truth. May we not only understand Your Word but also live it with faith and obedience. Let our lives reflect the blessing of those who see and hear, that others too may come to know the joy of Your Kingdom. Amen
