seeing, sunday

Sunday, April 27 (Second Sunday of Easter)

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer: Then run, faithful souls, happy and tireless, keep up with your Beloved who marches with giant strides from one end of heaven to the other.  Nothing is hidden from His eyes.  He walks alike over the smallest blade of grass, the tallest cedars, grains of sand or rocky mountains.  Wherever you go He has gone before.  Only follow Him and you will find Him everywhere. (The Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre De Caussade)

Scripture Reading for the Day: John 1:35-51

Reading for Reflection:

     The emphasis is on seeing.  Jesus said to Nathanael, ”Before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree,” and after Nathanael’s response:  “You are the Son of God.”  Jesus remarked, “You believe that just because I said I saw you under the fig tree.  You will see greater things than that…you will see the heaven laid open, and above the Son of man, and the angels of God ascending and descending” (John 1:49-51). 

     The story speaks deeply to me since it raises the questions: “Do I want to be seen by Jesus?  Do I want to be known by Him?”  If I do, then a faith can grow which proclaims Jesus as Son of God.  Only such a faith can open my eyes and reveal such a heaven.

     Thus, I will see when I am willing to be seen.  I will receive new eyes that can see the mysteries of God’s own life when I allow God to see me, all of me, even those parts that I myself do not want to see.

     O Lord, see me and let me see. (The Road to Daybreak  by Henri J.M. Nouwen)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                        

Closing Prayer: O Lord Jesus, I look at you, and my eyes are fixed on your eyes.  Your eyes penetrate the eternal mystery of the divine and see the glory of God.  They are also the eyes that saw Simon, Andrew, Nathanael, and Levi, the eyes that saw the woman with the hemorrhage, the widow of Nain, the blind, the lame, the lepers, and the hungry crowd, the eyes that saw the sad, rich ruler, the fearful disciples on the lake, and the sorrowful women at the tomb.  Your eyes, O Lord, see in one glance the inexhaustible love of God and the seemingly endless agony of all people who have lost faith in that love and are like sheep without a shepherd.

     As I look into your eyes, they frighten me because they pierce like flames of fire my innermost being, but they console me as well, because these flames are purifying and healing.  Your eyes are so severe yet so loving, so unmasking yet so protecting, so penetrating yet so caressing, so profound yet so intimate, so distant yet so inviting.

     I gradually realize that I want to be seen by you, to dwell under your caring gaze, and to grow strong and gentle in your sight.  Lord, let me see what you see—the love of God and the suffering of people—so that my eyes may become more and more like yours, eyes that can heal wounded hearts. (Intimate Moments with the Savior by Ken Gire)