“I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you clearly about the Father.” John 16:25
Why does Jesus speak in “figures of speech” rather than speaking clearly? Good question.
We see this same fact in the many parables that Jesus spoke. Most likely, when people would hear His parables they would walk away asking, “What do you think He meant by that?” So why does Jesus speak in a veiled language rather than speaking clearly and directly?
The answer has to do with us and our lack of openness to the Truth. If we were fully open to the Truth, and if we were completely ready to embrace the Truth no matter what it was, Jesus would be able to speak to us clearly and we would respond immediately. But this is so rarely the way it happens. The key to understanding this is to understand the connection between knowledge of God’s will and the willingness to immediately fulfill that will.
So often, we want Jesus to tell us His will, mull over it, consider it, and then come back with our response. But it doesn’t happen that way. Rather, if we want Jesus to speak to us clearly, we must say yes to Him even before we know what He wants. Willingness to embrace His will is a prerequisite to understanding His will.
Of course, our Blessed Mother is the perfect example of this in her fiat. Prior to the angel coming to her, she continually said “Yes” to the will of God. Then, when the angel came to her and told her what would happen, she asked for clarity. And she did indeed get that clarity as a direct response to her question. “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you and the power of the Most High will come upon you…” the angel said. But the only reason the angel, as a messenger of God, spoke so clearly was because she had already shown her heart to be fully compliant with God’s plan no matter what it would be.
Reflect, today, upon how clearly you hear God speak to you. Do you want Him to be clearer to you? Do you want Him to speak to you with greater clarity? If so, work on surrendering your will over more completely to that which you do not even know. Say “Yes” to that which God wants of you tomorrow and say “Yes” to it today. Building this habit of saying yes immediately will open the door to greater clarity in all God wants to say.