A reading from the gospel according to Luke 10:21-24
21 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
23 Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
24 For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Reflection: The Eyes of Faith
Jesus is rejoicing in the Holy Spirit and praising God, the Father, Lord of heaven and earth because His disciples were successful in their initial mission (Luke 10:1-20). He appreciates so much that the disciples, simple people as they were, have childlike faith which enabled them to see what other people including the wise and the learned would otherwise not see. Moreover, with childlike faith, the disciples performed miracles including the casting out of demons.
The gospel of Saint John tells us that “we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It is only with the eyes of faith that we can see the glory of God. Yet these eyes of faith come only from God Himself through Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a GIFT which anyone can ask for. When we are baptized and afterward received the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will grant us spiritual gifts including faith. Then we grow in faith when we continually make ourselves empty of pride and other sinful matters and ask God to fill us with His presence.
Jesus calls those with the eyes of faith blessed. More often than not, selfishness and material things make us spiritually blind. How awful life could be when we are blind, isn’t it? On the other hand, we are full of joy when our eyes are opened and we see the truth which others can not see or refuse to see. This is the very reason why Jesus “rejoiced in the Holy Spirit” and started praising the Father. He was actually rejoicing with the seventy-two disciples whose eyes were open to see that the kingdom of God was at work through them!
We pray that our eyes be opened too so that we can know more about the Holy Trinity. May our hearts be filled with joy because the Kingdom of God is in our midst. Amen.