Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH Mk 8: 27-33 “He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘You are the Christ.’”
Peter’s response is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today, through Fr. Ed’s reflection, may the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts as to who Jesus truly is…
LOOK TO THE LORD AND BE RADIANT WITH JOY! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
The Psalmist invites us into the joy of the Lord. How? “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.” (Ps 34:5) Indeed, if we truly look to the Lord with purity of eyes, heart, mind, soul and purity of intention, then we will experience an ineffable and almost indescribable joy.
When the blind man in the Gospel begged Jesus to touch him, this poor man really wanted to experience joy after the intense sorrow that sprung from his blindness, his inability to see anything in the created world. Jesus healed his blindness in stages. Jesus put spittle on his eyes and he was able to see imperfectly, but after Jesus put His hands on the blind man he was able to see perfectly. Who do you think was the first person this blind man saw after he recovered his sight? Almost certainly it would have been the compassionate smile on the Face of Jesus.
Indeed this man lived out the clarion call of the Psalmist: “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.” After experiencing the painful darkness of blindness, this man overflowing with joy could not only contemplate the beauty of God’s natural creation, but the Face of God in the Person of Jesus Christ!
A powerful example for all of us is the person of Simon-Peter, most specifically when He saw Jesus with his eyes from a distance as Jesus was walking on the water approaching the boat that was being tossed to and fro by the violent waves. Fearful, the Apostles cried out: “A ghost!” Jesus assured them that it was not a ghost but Himself, Jesus the Lord.
Simon Peter got out of the boat and actually started to walk on the waves towards Jesus, but then Simon Peter started to sink in the waves. The reason for his sinking? Quite clear: Simon Peter lifted his eyes from Jesus. In doing so, Peter paid more attention to the problem than the Problem-solver—Jesus the Lord! The essence of the problem of the sinking of Simon Peter was that instead of fixing his eyes on the eyes of Jesus who was walking on the water toward him, he focused his eyes on the wind, the waves and his own lack of faith and trust in Jesus. As soon as Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he sank into the cold water! Jesus gently rebukes Peter for his lack of faith and failure to look into the eyes of the Lord. Then Jesus takes Peter by the hand and he walks again right into the boat, and the boat crosses quickly to the shore with speed and graceful ease!
In the many problems, trials and tribulations that absorb and engulf us, we must strive with all the fiber of our being to lift our eyes and focus them on the Holy Face and eyes of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.”
How then can we right now focus our eyes on Jesus and “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy?” Indeed, it is just as possible now as it was over 2000 years ago! We must have eyes of faith to see Jesus, as did the blind man who was cured and looked into the Face and eyes of Jesus, His Friend and Healer.
Where then can we seek and find the Face of Jesus so that indeed we can “Seek the Lord and be filled with joy?” Let us immerse ourselves in this mystery and contemplate both the Face and eyes of Jesus.
1. HANDS OF THE PRIEST AT CONSECRATION.
Every time you attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the moment of Consecration arrives. When the priest pronounces the words of consecration, repeating the words that Jesus said at the Last Supper, and the bread is elevated first, and then the wine, in this double consecration you are truly contemplating the Face and the eyes of Jesus. “Look to the Lord Jesus in the consecrated Host and chalice and be filled with joy.”
2. THE TABERNACLE.
Before and after celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus is placed in the Tabernacle for the sick so that He may be visited by those who really love Him as their Best Friend. By contemplating the Tabernacle you are contemplating where Jesus lives and desires to be visited.
3. THE MONSTRANCE.
In solemn Eucharistic veneration and adoration, the Eucharistic Lord Jesus is taken from the Tabernacle and placed in the sacred vessel called the Monstrance. The word Monstrance, taken from Latin, means to show. The Lord Jesus is being manifested publicly so that He can look at us with His Eucharistic eyes and we can look at Him with faith and love. Once again: “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.”
4. IN HOLY IMAGES: THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
Even though this is symbolic, by contemplating with reverence and love a painting or a statue of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus we are contemplating the Face of Jesus depicted artistically by that image. “Come to me all of you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me because I am meek and humble of Heart. You will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30) Through the holy image we can arrive at the reality of the Face and eyes of Jesus, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.”
5. THE DIVINE MERCY IMAGE.
Jesus promised, through His Divine Mercy Secretary, Saint Faustina Kowalska, that those who look at and venerate this image will receive most special and signal graces. Jesus promised Faustina that His powerful grace will work through those who venerate this image. This of course implies those who contemplate with their eyes this image of love.
6. THE POOR, THE SICK, AND THE SUFFERING.
As followers of Jesus, we cannot leap over and forget that Jesus’ Face, and it is His suffering Face, is revealed through people, most especially those who suffer. Jesus said: “I was hungry and you gave me to eat; thirsty and you gave me to drink; naked and you clothed me; a foreigner and you welcomed me; sick and in prison and you came to visit me.’ When? Whenever we did it to one of these least of His brothers we did it to Him.” (Mt 25). Therefore, Jesus whom we contemplate in the Mass, the Tabernacle, and the Monstrance, we also must see in our brothers and sisters who suffer any form of need.
7. HANGING ON THE CROSS.
Many of the saints, moved to the very depths of their souls, could not fail to contemplate the man of suffering and that man is the Crucified Lord Jesus. If you have a chance, view the movie Marcelino: Pan y vino, aka The Miracle of Marcelino (1955 version). This little orphan boy sees Jesus on the cross. He talks to Jesus. He brings Jesus favors, and dies under the loving gaze of Jesus on the cross. Let us learn the infinite value of contemplating Jesus on the cross. He died for love of you and me.
8. CONTEMPLATE THE EYES AND FACE OF JESUS WITHIN OUR SOULS.
It is a solid teaching of our Catholic faith that once we are baptized and maintain the state of grace in our souls that not only can Jesus be contemplated in the very depths of our souls but also the Blessed Trinity. Carmelite Spirituality teaches this as the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in our soul through grace. Jesus states it clearly and unequivocally: “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:21)
9. IN THE FRIENDS OF JESUS: THE SAINTS.
As we contemplate the starry sky at night, each one of the stars breaks forth in a special glimmer. However, each glimmer is different, distinct from the surrounding stars. So it is with the saints. By contemplating the saints, they all reflect the eyes and Face of Jesus but with a different gleam and glimmer. By contemplating the lives and the faces of the saints, we can Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.
10. MARY: THE MOTHER OF THE LORD JESUS.
Pope Saint John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter “The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary” stated that Mary’s eyes were always contemplating the Face of Jesus in all the different stages of the earthly life of Jesus. Mary contemplated Jesus in her womb; then in her arms as a Baby. Mary contemplated the Child and adolescent Jesus. Then she contemplated Him as a young man as Preacher, Healer and Great Lover. Finally, Mary contemplated Jesus as the man of sorrows on the cross and the Risen Lord Jesus. Let us beg Mary to lend us her eyes to contemplate the eyes and Face of Jesus and indeed we will be able to look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.”
As we conclude our reflection, let us strive to live in constant peace and joy. However, let us be truly cognizant of the fact that true peace and joy comes from the Lord. During the course of our brief pilgrimage and journey in life heading towards our eternal homeland—Heaven—may we have our eyes fixed on the Face and eyes of Jesus the Lord. Let us look to the Lord and be radiant with joy. If our eyes are truly fixed on the Lord in this life, then we will arrive at Heaven where with our eyes, our heart, our mind, and our soul we will contemplate the beauty of the eyes of Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph and the Blessed Trinity for all eternity. “Look to the Lord and be radiant with joy.”
