Awakenings

Recently I was at a retreat center in San Francisco.  There was different art on the walls and this picture caught my attention:

As you can see, this portrays all the different faces that artists have used to depict what Jesus looked like.  Notice the similarities.  Notice the differences.  Now ask yourself:  Which ones do I relate the most to and why?  What makes a picture similar or different?  Is it similar because it is tied to what I feel Jesus should look like?  Is it different because of my cultural or religious background?  Are there any images on there that repulse me?  Why – why am I repulsed?  What do I expect Jesus to look like?  What do I expect Jesus to be?  And how many of these expectations are based on what I’ve created versus Who Jesus really is?

Now think about all the faces you will see today.  Think of all the stories behind each face.  Think of all the yearnings.  All the gifts.  All the love, the pain, the injustices and the graces.  Think of what makes you and I different.  Think about what separates you from another.  What draws you to a face?  What repulses you from another?  What makes you similar to another human being?  What makes you different?  How much of those similarities and differences are based on the biases, cultural & religious norms and walls we’ve created?  Now ask yourself:  Could it be that I have seen Jesus today?

In the child’s giggling, playful spirit

In the homeless man’s haunting eyes

In the addict’s desperate longing

In the stranger waiting patiently in line for coffee

In the driver’s intensity beside you on your commute to work

In your spouse’s steady rhythm

In the student searching for truth

In the young woman longing for love

In the young man chasing after strength and identity

In the migrant worker harvesting fruit

In the Muslim offering their petition

In the factory worker creating our garments

In all the yearnings and routines of the human race…

The different faces of Jesus surround us daily, hourly, moment-by-moment.  He can’t be boxed by culture, religion, sin, denomination, sexual orientation, politics, opinion, race, class, gender, bad-habit, country, species, or bias.  Remember that His name is I AM – He is everywhere, in everything, and present in all of space and time.  The Great I AM.  Remember that He is LOVE.  This word, LOVE, is what unites us all to every other being on this planet.  This is why we are here.  LOVE is the longing of every creature on this earth.  Therefore I am connected to you, and you are connected to me.  Jesus is in you…regardless of who or what you are.  “I tell you the truth, whatever you do to one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you do it to Me.”  (Words of Jesus, Matthew 25:40)

Now look in the mirror.  Look closer.  Look at yourself.

Do you see Him?