May Jesus Christ be
praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
I want to see the Lord
Jesus face to face in the glory of his kingdom. I want to gaze upon the loving
face of him whom I preach in faith. I want to have eyes to see him. But the
gospel tells me that if I want to see the face of Jesus Christ in the glory of
heaven, then I must learn to recognize the face of Jesus Christ on earth. I must
learn to recognize him here. We must learn, dear brothers and sisters, to
recognize him here.
He has told us where we
will see him. He has told us where he is so that we can recognize him. I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger
and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in
prison and you visited me. From the voice of Jesus Christ we learn where we can
see the face of Jesus Christ. In the words of the Lord himself we hear where we
can see him and how we can serve him.
We do not need to
travel to see the face of Jesus Christ. We do not need to do extraordinary
things to serve the Lord of heaven and earth. It was ordinary acts of kindness
that gained the righteous entrance into the kingdom. They were nothing
extraordinary, but only ordinary things with love. The righteous recognized a
need. They saw an opportunity in front of them. They looked upon something of
earth and served the Lord of heaven. They responded to the needs of a beggar
and served Christ the King. Though they did not recognize him, they saw the
face of Jesus Christ.
We want to see the face
of Jesus Christ. We want to be welcomed into his kingdom. We want to receive
the words of the Father’s blessing and sit at the table of the children of God.
We want to learn to recognize the face of Jesus Christ. We want to see his face
in the ultrasound and hear his voice in the cry of a baby. We want to see his
face in those who are hungry and thirsty so that we can feed the Good Shepherd
who feeds us. We want to see his face in the stranger, and even in the
prisoner. We want to recognize the face of Jesus Christ in the sufferings of
earth so that we can see him face to face in the glory of heaven.
We will learn to
recognize him, dear brothers and sisters, in the Eucharist. Like the disciples
on the road to Emmaus, we will come to recognize the Lord Jesus in the breaking
of the bread. Seeing only bread and wine and gazing on the true Body and Blood
of Jesus Christ, we will learn to see him. In the Eucharist, we will see him,
and he will open our eyes to see his face in the poor and the suffering. We
will come to recognize the face of the Good Shepherd. We will come to recognize
him who recognizes each of us as a beloved member of his flock. Amen.
Preached
at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
