My fingers pressed against my lips as tears flowed down my cheeks. The casket slid inside, and then—a moment that pierced through eternity—the steel door of the hearse slammed shut.

The clang echoed in my chest, final and absolute.

My father’s body lay within what felt like a tomb, now on its way to his final rest. In that moment, something deep shifted within me.

The protection my father had given me for sixteen years was gone. His body was lifeless. His soul had found its place in heaven.

I didn’t realize it at sixteen, but now, at sixty-six, looking back at that young boy in the family car, I see it clearly: a sacred friendship between God and me was forming. I wasn’t aware of it then.

I didn’t yet recognize the gentle voice of my Divine Father. But through the years, I have come to understand—God was always there, offering love and guidance as I navigated life without my human father.

Jesus invites us to see with the eyes of the heart—to move beyond what is visible and perceive the deeper reality of God’s presence.

This sight is not about physical vision but about spiritual awareness. It’s the ability to recognize grace in the midst of loss, to find God’s hand in our suffering, and to trust in the unseen guidance of the Divine.

There are moments in our lives when everything changes. The world we once thought safe becomes unfamiliar, unprotected, even chaotic.

But while everything on the outside shifts, something extraordinary can happen within us—if we are open. It is as if we become like Bartimaeus, the blind man who cried out to Jesus, “Lord, I want to see.”

 Perhaps we don’t use those exact words, but our hearts know the longing. We want to see. We want to know we are safe. We want to trust God is dwelling within, guiding us, protecting us, showing us how to walk our life’s path.

This inner sight often emerges through pain or suffering. It does not arrive with fanfare, but subtly, like a whisper of wind. If we let our hearts open, we see beyond what is visible. We notice the sacred unfolding in ordinary moments.

We had prayed for good weather so we could gather in the open air at the cemetery for final prayers around my father’s gravesite. But as we entered the church, the sky had darkened. Drenching rain poured down. It seemed unlikely we would have our moment under the open sky.

During Mass, as the priest blessed my father’s casket with holy water, a crack of thunder shook the air. The church lights flickered, then steadied. I turned to my mother and whispered, “That’s Dad. He made it safely to heaven. The rain will stop.”

And it did. When Mass ended, we stepped outside. The birds were singing. The clouds had parted. The rain had ended.

We gathered outside in open air at the cemetery for final prayers. We stood before the statue of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, a reminder of my father’s suffering with cancer for six months. In that sacred moment, the connection between my father’s suffering and Christ’s became clear. I felt a deep assurance that Dad was at peace, embraced by divine love.

That knowing—so certain, so deep—was the heart’s inner sight, the kind God was inviting me to see, to know. Even as I mourned, a new relationship between my Divine Father and me was unfolding.

Though grief still weighed heavy in my heart, I knew God was holding me. He was holding us all.

Perhaps God is always there, waiting to open our blinded eyes. We just need to be still and listen. We need to trust the inner sight that’s beyond human understanding. We need to look with the eyes of our hearts to experience divine wisdom.

A Spiritual Practice for You:
Seeing with the Eyes of Your Heart

This week, consider asking God to help you see with the eyes of your heart. Become like Bartimaeus and tell God, “I want to see.”

Here’s how you might do it:

Find a quiet place—your refuge from life’s storms.

Light a candle as a symbol of God’s presence.

Sit in stillness and breathe deeply.

Pray like Bartimaeus: “Lord, I want to see.”

Open your heart to the gentle stirrings of God’s voice.

Notice what arises—a feeling, a memory, a quiet assurance.

Trust this is God’s grace revealing divine wisdom to you.

Like Bartimaeus, see the inner wisdom and love that have always been there, waiting for you. Let your prayer rise to the gates of heaven: “Lord, I want to see. Open the eyes of my heart.”

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.com

A Tool for Your Spiritual Toolbox:
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How to Tame Your Monkey-Mind:
A Simple Guide to to Meditation

Feeling overwhelmed by life’s nonstop demands?  Does your mind race from one thought to the next?

In this episode of my podcast, Spirituality on the Go, we explore the power of meditation—a simple yet transformative practice that calms the monkey mind, restores inner peace, and deepens your connection with God. 

Join me as we dive into the “three-legged stool” method, a practical tool to bring balance to your mind, body, and spirit. Ready to step out of the chaos and into stillness? Tune in now!

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