Month: September 2022

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

Jesus is where we are. Whether we are living a holy life, struggling with temptations inundating us like a hurricane, or lost in the mire of vice or sin, Jesus is always passing by.

Jesus is not passing by intent on avoiding us. He is passing by in order to see us, to show us that we are seen with the eyes of respect and love. Jesus sees us, as we most deeply are. He delights in us, for he has made all things good.

There are many reasons why I want to avoid your gaze, Jesus. I don’t feel worthy. I don’t know how to respond to you. I’m afraid. But here you are, passing by, seeing me as you saw Matthew.

I can imagine Matthew with either an arrogant gaze—by which he defended himself from the hatred of his fellow countrymen—or a defensive, sullen, withdrawn attitude as he isolated himself from their disdain. Jesus looked into Matthew’s eyes, eyes that had known only rejection from others, and for the first time Matthew knew that someone truly saw him. Someone had seen his wounds, his fears, his desires, his folly, his sin, and his potential.

You saw him, Lord Jesus, and you called him by name and you invited him to live in your presence. You wanted him to be both your disciple and your apostle. In following you, Matthew was to embark on the adventure of metanoia and mission, to proclaim your glory to the world. In fact, he did both immediately.

“And [Matthew] got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.”

The rich young man had walked away sad, unable to really give himself over to the following of Christ. Matthew, on the other hand, jumped up, immediately corresponding to the grace of his call. To the one who had really seen him—who did not consider simply that he had betrayed his people by extorting their money and overcharging their taxes—to this Lord and Master he entrusted his whole life.

This one loving look of the Savior that expressed a commitment to his dignity and a willingness to care about him, changed his life forever. 

Pope Francis in his peace message published on December 17, 2021, invited us to have the eyes of Christ for each other. He called it the “culture of care.” 

“The culture of care calls for a common, supportive and inclusive commitment to protecting and promoting the dignity and good of all, a willingness to show care and compassion, to work for reconciliation and healing, and to advance mutual respect and acceptance…. May we never yield to the temptation to disregard others, especially those in greatest need, and to look the other way; instead, may we strive daily, in concrete and practical ways, to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another.”

When I am hurt or angry, I have to admit my eyes are not caring. My gaze can be arrogant or withdrawn or sullen. Jesus’s gaze alone restores to us the joy of life, the kind of happiness that radiates from our soul through our eyes. When you see a person perfectly at peace or someone who spends a lot of time in prayer, you can see that radiance, that happiness. Their eyes have a depth to them that cannot be fathomed.

Allow Jesus today to see you as he passes you by. He is there to call you again and again to follow him. When you have followed him, turn then to cast eyes of concern and respect and acceptance on your brothers and sisters. For it may be that they will only know the gaze of the Lord through your eyes, and his gentle compassion through your words.

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Al pasar “Jesús vio a un hombre llamado Mateo, sentado a su mesa de recaudador de impuestos, y le dijo: ‘Sígueme’”.

Jesús se encuentra donde nos encontramos nosotros. Ya sea que estemos viviendo una vida santa, luchando con las tentaciones que nos inundan como un huracán, o perdidos en el lodo del vicio o del pecado, Jesús siempre está pasando cerca nuestro.

Jesús no pasa de largo con la intención de evitarnos. Pasa para vernos, para mostrarnos que somos vistos con los ojos del respeto y del amor. Jesús nos ve en lo más profundo de nuestro ser. Él se deleita en nosotros, porque él ha hecho todas las cosas buenas.

Hay muchas razones por las que quiero evitar tu mirada, Jesús. No me siento digno. No se como responderte. Tengo miedo. Pero aquí estás, pasando, viéndome como viste a Mateo.

Me imagino a Mateo con una mirada arrogante —con la que se defendía del odio de sus compatriotas— o con una actitud defensiva, hosca, retraída, aislándose de su desdén. Jesús miró a los ojos de Mateo, ojos que solo habían conocido el rechazo de los demás, y por primera vez Mateo supo que alguien realmente lo estaba viendo. Alguien había visto sus heridas, sus miedos, sus deseos, su locura, su pecado y su potencial.

Tú lo viste, Señor Jesús, y lo llamaste por su nombre y lo invitaste a vivir en tu presencia. Querías que fuera tanto tu discípulo como tu apóstol. Siguiéndote, Mateo iba a emprender la aventura de un cambio profundo y de la misión, para proclamar tu gloria al mundo. De hecho, hizo ambas cosas inmediatamente.

Y “[Mateo] se levantó y lo siguió. Después, cuando estaba a la mesa en casa de Mateo, muchos publicanos y pecadores se sentaron también a comer con Jesús y sus discípulos.”

El joven rico se había marchado triste, incapaz de entregarse realmente al seguimiento de Cristo. Mateo, en cambio, se levantó de un salto, correspondiendo inmediatamente a la gracia de su llamada, a quien realmente lo había visto, que no consideraba simplemente que había traicionado a su pueblo extorsionando su dinero y cobrando en exceso sus impuestos, a este Señor y Maestro le encomendó toda su vida.

Esta mirada amorosa del Salvador que expresó un compromiso con su dignidad y una disponabilidad de cuidarlo, cambió su vida para siempre.

El Papa Francisco en su mensaje de paz publicado el 17 de diciembre de 2021, nos invitó a tener los ojos de Cristo los unos para los otros. Lo llamó la “cultura del cuidado”.

La cultura del cuidado, como compromiso común, solidario y participativo para proteger y promover la dignidad y el bien de todos, como una disposición al cuidado, a la atención, a la compasión, a la reconciliación y a la recuperación, al respeto y a la aceptación mutuos…No cedamos a la tentación de desinteresarnos de los demás, especialmente de los más débiles; no nos acostumbremos a desviar la mirada, sino comprometámonos cada día concretamente para ‘formar una comunidad compuesta de hermanos que se acogen recíprocamente y se preocupan los unos de los otros’.”

Cuando estoy herido o enojado, tengo que admitir que mis ojos no contienen compasión. Mi mirada puede ser arrogante o retraída o hosca. Sólo la mirada de Jesús nos devuelve la alegría de vivir, la felicidad que irradia de nuestra alma a través de nuestros ojos. Cuando ves a una persona perfectamente en paz o a alguien que pasa mucho tiempo en oración, puedes ver ese resplandor, esa felicidad. Sus ojos tienen una profundidad que no se puede comprender.

Permita que Jesús hoy te vea cuando pase cerca tuyo. Él está allí para llamarte una y otra vez para que lo sigas. Cuando lo hayas seguido, vuélve a mirar con preocupación, respeto y aceptación a tus hermanos y hermanas. Porque puede ser que sólo conozcan la mirada del Señor a través de tus ojos, y su dulce compasión a través de tus palabras.

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Each week, hopefully each day for many of us, we hear the words of Scripture. This can be at Mass, within a Bible study, spiritual reading, even a post-it note on your mirror. We have the incredible good fortune to be able to surround ourselves, visually and audibly, with Scripture. We have apps, audio books, websites, access to printed Bibles, pen, paper and many near-empty journals. 

These are incredibly abundant blessings that so many throughout history have not received. Think about the early Christians who passed on the faith by word of mouth, secret meetings and liturgies for fear of persecution. Think of the countries where Catholicism was considered traitorous at various points in history. Think about the places in the world today where Christianity is still unwelcome and where it is potentially dangerous to have a Bible in your home. 

We are able to have an abundance of Scripture in our lives. What happens when we experience abundance? Unfortunately, because of our fallen nature, abundance can easily give way to indifference and even neglect. We are to be hearers of the Word, but do we seek out opportunities to hear at all?

Jesus tells us today that those who hear the Word and act upon it are His mother and His brothers. Jesus is inviting His followers into such a close and intimate relationship with this interaction. Jesus is saying, “I don’t want you to just know about me. I don’t want you to think I have nice things to say, to talk about me at dinner parties as this guy I heard one time. I don’t want to be your acquaintance, or even friend. I want you in my life as my mother is in my life.” 

While not everyone has an ideal relationship with their earthly mother, we can all have an ideal relationship with our heavenly mother. Jesus is inviting us to become little Mary’s in the world. We do this by hearing His Word and acting upon it. What better summary could a person give to Mary’s life than that? She heard the Word and, full of confidence and trust in her God, acted upon it. She cooperated with it and in doing so, she bore Christ for the salvation of the world. 

This is what we are being invited into today. In hearing the Word of Jesus and acting upon it, we bring Christ forth into the world. We allow Him to work in us and through us to be made manifest in what we say and do. 

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I had a slightly cheeky thought when I read today’s Psalm Response, “The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.” It’s easy to be just living on the Lord’s holy mountain, isn’t it? The readings from Proverbs and Psalm 15 make similar points. They teach us how to treat each other  – with kindness, respect, and peacefulness. It seems counter-cultural and is advice our world needs very much to pay attention to, now. Yet, those words are not recent at all, but from centuries ago, before Jesus was even born. It reminds me that our problems in this world are not as new or unique as we think. 

Is it possible that some of our problems are because of our behavior? Are we hiding our light under the bed? Keep reading, this will make sense, I promise. Do you hide your faith? Are you hesitant about being the person God created you to be in this world and for this world? Your light is your power, your faith, your commitment to Christ. Your light is what you have been given that makes you uniquely you. And the world needs you. 

Often though, showing “me” to the world is frightening. The fear of judgment, of being misunderstood, of seeming like I am too much, makes me pause and turn down the brightness. That is not what Jesus wants. 

When He says, “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away,” I don’t think He is talking about money or possessions. If we hide our light, in other words, turn from following Christ because it is easier on us, what we have will be taken from us – our faith will be taken because it will seem as if we have no use for faith. Does that apply to you?

I don’t know. I know that sometimes it applies to me. When I allow doubt and fear to grow bigger than the promises of Jesus and the words of Scripture. When the sacraments seem like a good idea, but require so much effort, so I tell myself I have too much to do so I can’t go to daily Mass or make it to confession. You see, faith requires action. If I don’t act on my faith, what good is having it?

Our call is to be people of faith, letting the light of Christ shine through us for others to see. How that happens is unique to each one of us. How will you allow Christ’s light to shine through you today?

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