A Homily on Matthew 23:13-22 : The Locked Door of the Heart ( 25-8-25)

 A homily on Matthew 23:13-22, reflecting on spiritual blindness as a locked door that keeps out God’s light and misleads others.

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

A man once built a strong house with a beautiful wooden door. He decorated the door with carvings and painted it with bright colours. Every visitor admired the door. But there was one problem. The man never opened it. His neighbours would knock, calling him to come out and share meals or join in the village feast. But he kept the door shut. Slowly, people stopped coming. The house that looked so beautiful on the outside became a place of loneliness inside, because the door that could welcome life was locked.

This image is very close to what Jesus says in today’s Gospel. He tells the Pharisees, “You shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” The Pharisees were like a locked door. From outside, the door looked holy with prayers and laws, but in truth it was closed to God’s mercy. Their blindness of heart not only kept them far from God but also blocked others from entering.

Blindness of the eyes can be healed with help, but blindness of the heart is more dangerous. A blind heart refuses truth. In the Old Testament, when God gave His people the commandments through Moses, He told them to keep His words not only on their lips but also on their hearts. Yet often they made the same mistake of locking the door of their hearts. They turned away from prophets, worshipped idols, and refused to forgive one another. The heart was closed, even though the temple was full of sacrifices.

This happens even today. In some families, prayer is said every day, but there is no love. The rosary is recited, but anger and quarrels remain. The door looks decorated from the outside with religious practice, but inside it is shut to peace. Children grow up watching this contradiction and begin to think faith is only words. Parents, who should be guides of faith, sometimes become like blind guides, leading their own children into confusion.

Think of Joseph in the Old Testament. When his brothers sold him into slavery, he could have locked his heart with bitterness. But he chose to see God’s hand. He kept his heart open, and because of that, he became a channel of life for his family and even for Egypt. A heart open to God’s plan becomes a door that welcomes others to life.

Saint John of the Cross, a Carmelite, once said, “Where there is no love, put love, and you will draw out love.” This is how we clean the blindness of the heart. If someone in the family hurts us, we can choose to open the door of forgiveness instead of locking it with anger. If we see our neighbour in need, we can open the door of generosity instead of closing it with selfishness.

A locked door may look strong, but it gives no life. A heart that is open to God shines light not only for itself but also for others. Jesus warns us today not to be blind guides. Our words and prayers must match our actions of love and mercy. Then our families will no longer be places of closed doors but shining windows through which the light of God enters the world.

 Lord,  give me an open heart

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