A team building exercise many of us have seen, and perhaps participated in, is to be blindfolded and to be guided by another as we maneuver around the room. It is meant to enhance trust in the other…in the team…especially when confronted with unforeseen obstacles or set-backs to the group’s objectives.
This past weekend as I flew from Chicago to York, PA (our nation’s first capital, and where the Articles of Confederation was signed on November 15, 1777), I sat across a man who was blind, deaf, and mute. He had begun his journey in Seattle. As I gazed upon him, with his serene appearance and half-smile, I was in awe at his trust in himself, in others, perhaps in God, that he would manage to get to his destination without a hitch. Despite his physical limitations he seemed to have a keen awareness that he was not alone on his journey.
This gentle soul certainly brought to life the scripture readings of this Sunday: Abraham, who gave generous hospitality to three strangers, whom he perceived to be messengers from God. He, too, had a sense that his journey of life was not a solitary one. Perhaps, that is why he had the trust to uproot his family to seek a new home in an unforeseen territory. Perhaps, that is why he also had such great trust in God that when put to the test to sacrifice his own son, he knew that God would not see it through. (Perhaps, trust in his father allowed Isaac to place himself without protest on the sacrificial altar.)
In the Gospel passage we hear of Jesus’ visit to his friends, Martha and Mary. We find Martha slaving away in the kitchen to provide food and warm hospitality to a dear friend, while Mary sees more than a friend and cannot be drawn away from him, even when tested by the dictates of social custom or a sister’s complaint.
We are gifted in so many ways, not the least of which is the gift of sight. But, perhaps, this gift can also blind us to the reality of whose presence we are in…of the holy encounter with every friend, stranger, or foe. Mother Teresa said she saw our Lord’s face in the forgotten and dying poor she attended. Now that is a special gift of sight. No doubt we all long for this gift. What a difference it would make in our life…in our world!
A refrain from a popular liturgical hymn is “We walk by faith and not by sight…” May it be so.
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After my experience this week with a blind and deaf dog, seeing her helplessness and misery when she could not sense the presence of a person, I can only imagine what your airway passenger must experience! You give us not only a reminder of our sometimes unappreciated gifts, but a new gratitude for God's 'presents' and PRESENCE! Thanks! sd
ReplyDeleteI really like this one, Frank. The idea of seeing the face of Christ in the people we see and serve is important. When I worked in the soup kitchen in Milwaukee, we used to stress that to our volunteers – who felt really good about themselves for spending ½ a Saturday serving the “less fortunate.” They were good people, but I don’t think many of them got that concept.
ReplyDeleteIn the small soup kitchen at my parish that I coordinate, I don’t have to tell the volunteers anything (except cut the sandwiches in ½ when we get a crowd like we did last night…….). They know, and do see the face of Christ in the people who come in, and treat them accordingly. They serve the hungry, staff the pantry, staff and cook for the PADS shelter, etc., always with a smile and graciousness. My favorite thing to hear is “what do you need, baby?” Moving.