Spiritual eyes

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13: 31-35)

The Kingdom of Heaven is the very paradise we all desire in our hearts. Yet, we will not experience it until after we die. However, here on earth we can have some taste of it in advance of our passing, even if only minimally so. Initially, however, we need to develop spiritual eyes to see it, as is the case with the mustard seed. We must remember that an essential job we have is to sharpen our spiritual vision so as to offer prayers of thanksgiving for the all the gifts God gives each day.