TO SEE THE FACE OF
GOD
Christmas 2012
How does love between two people
begin? Love begins when two people meet, when they look at and set eyes on each
other, when they see each other face to face. It may be either love at first
sight or a love that slowly develops from the moment you see the other’s face.
You can “fall in love” with a voice
on the radio or a cute cell phone text message but it’s incomplete until you see
the face behind the voice or the message.
You can be fascinated with someone on Facebook but only if you’re sure
his/her profile picture is real and not borrowed from Sam Milbey or Ann
Curtis. The face is an important
factor in falling in love.
Today the angels tell the
shepherds: “you will see an infant
wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
This infant has a definite
face. It is the face of a loving
and lovable God. With the face of
the infant in a Bethlehem cave, the unseen God of Israel ceases to be distant,
unrecognizable or abstract. He is here with us, one with us, one of us. He has a face we can not only see and
admire, but touch and feel. He is
so close to us. This is the original and enduring meaning of Christmas. God assumed a human face in Jesus
Christ of Nazareth! God became a
human being like us!
When was the last time you really
looked at a person’s face? Some
people look at the body and burn with lust. Some people look at the wallet for what they can get. Some
people look at titles trying to figure out how to use it for their
advantage. But the face, do we
still look at each other’s faces with tenderness and awe?
At the Christmas table, let us
look at each other again. Before going to sleep, look at your spouse and say
“Merry Christmas, I love you.” As
they sleep, take notice of your children’s faces. Look at your parents’ faces and the love they radiate. It’s
Christmas, look at everyone with a smile, a nod or a greeting. Look at the poor knocking on your door
and don’t simply send them off with spare coins.
Today people look more at cell
phones and Iphones than at people’s faces. Can we turn these gadgets off today
and instead look at the face of people around us? In them we wont find a
message or photo, for sure. In
these faces, we might just really encounter
the face of God.
We dramatize anger and strong
emotions by making faces. And we do this as well by avoiding faces. We tear up pictures. Block fb accounts or turn our backs
when we meet enemies in the street.
We refuse to speak, eat or pray with people we are angry with. We avoid their faces. We evade their
presence.
But when we do not anymore look
at other people’s faces, then we destroy our own face. For the face of the other reminds us who
we are.
If we ignore a face, we ignore
our own likeness. Abortion is easy
because the woman does not see the face of the murdered child. Contraception is easy because we don’t
imagine children’s faces but adjectives – burdensome, unnecessary,
unwanted. Law makers and
politicians thrive on corruption because they focus not on the faces of the
poor, but on money instead.
When the shepherds looked at the
Baby Jesus, they also realized who they really were. They were not mere mortals consigned to heavy labor by their
poverty. They were not outcasts in
a society that values only power and prestige. No, they, the shepherds, were lovely people saved by their
God. They were very important!
Why did they feel that way? It was because the Baby was also
looking at them. God appeared to
them, as the second reading in Paul’s letter to Titus (2:11-14) tells us: “The
grace of God has appeared.” “The
glory of the great God and of our Lord Jesus Christ” appeared. – The glory of
God shone. The face of God was
looking at the poor and humble before him. In God, the poor and suffering have a friend and a brother.
Do you feel alone even in the
midst of a crowd? Do you feel
misunderstood even when you try to explain your side? Do you feel abandoned by
the people you trusted most? Do
you think that your world is collapsing and that there is no more future? Think again. Tonight, Jesus is looking at you, with eyes full of
understanding, compassion and commitment.
You are the reason he came down from heaven.
When we sense that someone is
looking at us with love and respect, we begin to grow in confidence. We realize that we can still carry on
full of hope. The strongest
assurance is that someone believes in us.
At Christmas time, God believes
in you! Today and always, he looks at you! Thank You Lord for showing me your face and for gazing at my
face today.
There are faces we cannot forget
and choose not to forget. A few
years ago, my friend lost his young son to illness. This year I saw myself tagged on a Facebook photo. It was of a birthday cake dedicated to
his departed son’s 6th birthday. He may not see his face anymore but he is sure he is looking
down from heaven on his family on his birthday.
This year, I miss a wonderful
face in this Christmas season. My mother’s
face was transformed from healthy to tired and worn-out in her battle with
cancer. She suffered a lot. But moment before she died, she opened
her eyes and stared at me. I looked
at her and pressed my face against her loving face. That last look of a mother will always assure me I am loved
and precious to someone.
Today it is not just any face we
see, and not just any face that looks at us with great love. It is the face of
Jesus, God made man. He has
appeared to give us peace, joy, healing and glory. We see God face-to-face. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
