Blessed are the eyes which see what you see

 

Welcome to my blog. Peace be with you.

Believers have a treasure in their hands. However often we do not realise it. We can experience even now the love and closeness of Jesus, the Son of God become man and with us still.

To know him and experience him is the deep secret of the Christian life.

Saturday 3 October 2020

Blessed are the eyes which see what you see

Gospel

Luke 10:17-24

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven

1.      The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’

 

2.      He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you;

 

3.      rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’

4.      It was then that, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said:

5.      I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.

6.      Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father;

7.      and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

 

8.      Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private,

 

9.      ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

Prayerful reflection

   

The disciples are rejoicing, but for the wrong reason. They have healed the sick and driven out demons by invoking the name of Jesus. This has made them very happy and excited. Jesus tells them that they should not rejoice because they have power over Satan. The enemy can do nothing if they shield themselves with the power of Jesus’ name, i.e. the power of Jesus.

Furthermore, he has been cast out of heavenlike lightening. He couldn’t do anything about it. He is in fact no more than a paper tiger. He may look fierce, but is in fact impotent in the face of Jesus.

As you sent out the seventy-two disciples, you send us out too. May we understand our vocation. Everyone who is a believer and is baptised receives baptism and confirmation for the salvation of others. We must not just rejoice in our own salvation. Rather we must liberate others from the power of sin and Satan. We can do it, because we have the Lord with us. In his name we can do all things.

Jesus calls the insignificant to be his followers and if like Mary they humbly cooperate he will make them great. So he has called us. He has blessed in ways unknown to the learned of the world. We have experienced Jesus in our prayer and in the Sacraments. We know that he is with us to be our Saviour and give us eternal life, now in faith, but after death in glory. For this we can never be too grateful.