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The Joyful Catholic
Seek and find the face of God
© 2010 by Frederick Hermann
Clutching her crayon tightly, a little girl drew intently on a piece of paper.
Her teacher asked, “What are you drawing?”
The girl whispered, “It’s a picture of God.”
“Oh dear,” the teacher replied, “but no one knows what God looks like.”
Without hesitating, the little girl replied, “They’re about to find out.”
If you are struggling to find God in your life, remember to look with the simple faith of a child.
God wants us to find him. “Seek my face,” God asks us. (Psalm 27). He eagerly runs to embrace us, like the father of the prodigal son.
Jesus found God by praying alone in the desert, and his face “shone like the sun”.
We find God the same way, in prayer, and we have the sacraments to help us.
How do we know when we have seen God?
Moses’ face became radiant. The disciples were inspired to follow Jesus and left their boats. Paul felt scales falling from his eyes and was blinded by light.
We know one experience is common to all; an overwhelming sense of God’s love. This is “the peace which transcends understanding” (Phil. 4:7).
Once we see God clearly, we are suddenly able to see ourselves clearly, as God sees us.
When we see God for who he is, as our creator who loved us before he formed us in the womb, we are free to look fearlessly in the mirror to recognize our God-given gifts and limitations.
When we are in right relationship with God, he puts us in right relationship with others, and the pieces of our lives fall gently into place.
Gradually, we begin to see God’s face when we look in a mirror and we recognize a familiar friend. “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect God’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).
This is an awesome privilege, knowing that we can reflect God’s image to others.
Soon we see God in everyone, for “God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27).
God’s face is glimpsed in a newborn child, a suckling mother, a hardworking father, a praying nun, or a humble priest.
Looking closer, we see the face of God disguised in people we normally overlook; the poor, the sick, the suffering, the disfigured, the grieving and the dying.
God is also apparent in the depressed, discouraged, and downhearted. He is visible in the beggar, the diseased, the ugly, the handicapped and the unborn.
With new eyes we cast our gaze on the outcasts of society; the thief, the liar, the adulterer, the murderer, and the imprisoned.
God’s face is almost entirely masked in some people.
Can we look upon our enemies, those who hurt us, and see the face of God, however obscure?
This is the ultimate test of love, to look upon our enemies with the love of God. “Love your enemies,” Jesus said, “and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
I pray that I find the face of God in everyone. Let me be transformed, Lord, so that I become a reflection of your radiant face to the world.
Let people see a glimpse of God in my face. It may be the only glimpse of God they see this week.
O Lord, let me see your divine face in everyone I meet, and let me be a reflection of your face to a joyful and sorrowful world.
Hermann is a popular columnist and author of a book featuring true stories of men and women who discover their faith in prison called “The Spirit Set Me Free” (Amazon.com). He is currently finishing an original script for a family-friendly film. His email is RH222@sbcglobal.net
By Megan Thompson
I've recently become intrigued by front doors. Yes...you read that correctly and I'm not embarrassed to say it. During my morning runs, I've started to pay more attention to houses and what sets them apart. Some are set apart by their size or their landscape or the car in the driveway. But as I've been running in a neighborhood in Columbus that has a lot of older homes with similar architecture, I've concluded that what sets houses apart is the door. And I say this because I've found that when I see a house with a newer front door, I find myself wondering what the interior looks like. I want to know if they have granite counter tops or big leather couches or beautiful artwork on the walls. With such care taken in the selection of the door, I have to assume that even greater care is taken to the interior of the house.
And I started to think that maybe we could apply this same idea to our faith lives. Whether we like it or not, our outward appearance speaks volumes about us. And I don't mean outward appearance as in what clothes we wear or what our hair looks like. I mean that our actions, the way we talk, the way we handle situations, and the way we treat other people DO, in fact, tell others about what's going on within us. So the question maybe we all should ask ourselves is "What does my outward appearance tell people about my relationship with God?"
Our relationship with God may, in fact, be unwaveringly strong...in the confines of our bedroom walls. But are we willing to let that faith and love for God be visible in our outward appearance and in the way we handle the events of each day? Are we willing to be set apart because of our faith? Are we willing to be content with what we have when others are constantly pursuing something else? Are we willing to speak words of kindness instead of destroying people's reputations with gossip at our job and in our school? Are we willing to joyfully endure the struggles and annoyances of the day instead of complaining? Are we willing to be people of kindness, integrity, patience, humility, boldness, and love so that through these characteristics, people may come to know the character of God?
Pope Benedict XVI once said this: "Something I constantly notice is that unembarrassed joy has become rarer". Maybe we could even take it to the next step and say that unembarrassed faith has become rarer; unembarrassed joy has become uncommon; unembarrassed peace and humility and simplicity and kindness are fleeting characteristics. But maybe that could be our challenge this week: to allow our outward appearance to reflect the inward reality of our faith lives AND to be unembarrassed in showing it. This week, let us vow to show those we meet the beauty of being in relationship with God.
And so tonight we pray, most Holy Spirit, that you would give us the strength we need to make manifest the love of the Father to a world in desperate need of it. May we be set apart for you as we make visible the joy, peace, and love we have come to know in you. Prayers for you, friends, as we unashamedly share our faith.
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