Message from Fr. Brito:

15th Sunday Year A

     Last weeks Gospel sets us up for the parables that Jesus will present to us today and in the weeks to come. Jesus said last week in his prayer “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed to little ones.”

Jesus chose twelve little ones that we call apostles. Most of these were not learned men. These are the ones, who into day’s gospel ask Jesus, why he speaks to (the crowds) in parables?”

He replies to them: “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted”

These twelve little one came to Jesus knowing nothing and after three years of formation in the school of Jesus they understand more the truth than the wise and learned.  They are able to make sense of the parables.

     There is an epidemic in our society.  When our children go off to college or even before, many lose their faith. In the institution of the wise and the learned, God has been cast aside. Many young people stop going to church and have stop praying. We too can lose our faith if we stop coming to the school of Jesus. There are many voices out there, calling for our attention. These voices are loud and sometimes very attractive, but truth is seldom found in them. Listen again what Jesus says in today’s gospel “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 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”

“Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears because they hear”

How do we keep from losing our faith in a world that refuses to accept the Lord of truth and refuse to listen to him and learn.? We must continue on a regular basis to allow ourselves to bask in the truth daily and keeping the Lord’s day holy every week. This is how we cultivate the soil that will receive the seed of faith and how we will nurture it and feed it so that the harvest may be rich and plentiful. Whoever has ears ought to hear. Amen