Dear Father, in today’s Gospel reading (John 11:47–54), we encountered the stubbornness and blindness of the scribes. This was alarming and even led to the decision to kill Jesus. They deceived themselves, and thus the truth could no longer find its way into their hearts.
In this, beloved Father, we shudder at the wickedness of a hardened heart. Sadly, this is no exception. It can happen to us when we fail to follow a truth we have recognized simply because it does not align with our desires or expectations. If we do not turn away from such an erroneous path, we become increasingly entangled, and our spiritual eyes grow dim.
Saint Paul described this condition well: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” (2 Tm 4:3-4)
How can we, with Your grace, prevent such blindness?
If we recognize You as our loving Father and cultivate an intimate relationship with You, then whenever something within us does not seem entirely pure or sincere, we can bring it to You. Any fear of You must be cast aside in the face of Your love. We ask You to protect us from every deception—no matter how small—and to help us open our hearts to You with sincerity.
In trust, we hope that through You we may renounce disordered desires that draw us into a world of illusion, so that these illusions may depart from our lives. Moreover, we hold fast to Your Word, handed down to us by the Apostles and taught by the Church over many centuries, free from modernist distortions. Then surely our spiritual eye and our spiritual ear will remain open to Your guidance!