What if it's More?

A rowdy dog… or an invitation?

I heard the chapel door close behind me and looked up, smiling shyly as I stared into the tabernacle. Coming to the Adoration Chapel had been a last-minute decision, one made suddenly when the dog objected to my plans for quiet prayer at home. I had expected to share the small space–and Jesus–with others, but as the only other person there quietly left, my heart swelled. This has happened a few times before, and it always leaves me with the same feeling: as if Jesus had invited me there at that precise moment because He wanted to spend time alone with me. I felt loved. I felt wanted. I was overcome with gratitude and joyfully humbled.

I savored the feeling for several minutes before picking up my Bible, however I quickly realized I couldn’t see well enough to read. The lights were off, the entire room lit only by sunlight passing through a narrow panel of stained glass. Considering the overcast skies outside, the room was gray. And since my attempt to turn the lights on was fruitless (and my eyes aren’t as young as they once were!), I set down my Bible and looked at Jesus in the Eucharist.


An unexpected sight… or an answered prayer?

It is perhaps more accurate to say I tried looking at Jesus in the Eucharist. Without the overhead spotlight shining on the monstrance, what I saw as I looked at the compartment holding the Blessed Sacrament was not the consecrated Host, but my very own reflection staring back at me from the glass. It was a bit odd, trying to see Jesus and encountering my own face. But unable to read I had few options for where to direct my gaze, so as the minutes became an hour, the situation continued:

     I sat in the gray room, trying to see Jesus.
     And Jesus repeatedly showed me… me.

After some time the chapel door opened, and another person quietly entered. It seemed my time alone with Jesus was ending. Gathering my belongings, I stood to leave, and as I did, a prayer I’ve whispered countless times during the last several weeks came to me:

Jesus, I know I need to love those around me better. Help me see You in them so I can do just that.

It seemed random, this prayer running through my mind at that precise moment. Unsure what to make of it, I turned to leave the chapel. But as I took one last glance at the monstrance—one last glance where I again encountered my own reflection while trying to see Jesus—I couldn’t help but wonder whether Jesus had spent the last hour answering my prayer. Because I suspect the very first step in seeing Jesus in the person before me is being able to see Him in myself.

God created mankind in his own image;

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Jesus, help me see You in those around me—even, and especially, when You come in Your "most distressing disguise." Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me.

And as always, I pray God breathes life into these words.

Blessed by these words?

Click here to subscribe so you never miss a post!

And feel free to share, so you can bless others.