Luke 10:21-24

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.

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.
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.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
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.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

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.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

The word “hidden” here is one that I think most people misunderstand. I believe that most people think of this as God actively “preventing” them from seeing what the little children see clearly. I would argue that this is not what is happening here, but rather it is a reference to the inner nature of both.

If you set out in the sun both clay and butter, one will melt into a pool, and the other will harden like pottery. The sun is not treating each differently, but simply it is the inner natures of each of these substances that is causes different results when exposed the same warm rays of the sun.

So too are the wise and learned in contrast to a child. As Margaret Thatcher once said: “They know so much that isn’t so.” The main problem that the wise and learned face is that they know so much, that they do not have room for anything new, much less things of spiritual import, or things that require faith and trust. Children on the other hand, are completely open, they have an easier time taking things on faith, as long as the person who is telling them is trustworthy.

So we are called to be childlike in our relationship to the good Lord. This is not to say that you cannot use your mind and logic to find your way to faith…, that is how I began. But you must at some point put down the logic, and simply just trust in the goodness of God, and with faith believe the things that cannot be understood with logic and reason alone. If you can do this, the craziest thing will happen to you…, when you open your mind to the faith that God is real and truly loves you and wants the best for you, at that point you will be graced with an understanding that super-cedes all logic and reason. And the things that you could not understand with your mind, will become abundantly clear when considered with the eyes of your heart.

So be childlike, and accept the grace that God wants to give you.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Oh Lord, help me to have the humility today to see you as you are, as a good and trustworthy father, and to look at you more with my heart, than my mind.