Do You Recognize Him?
“People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.” ~ Pearl Bailey
Yesterday at Mass, the Gospel for the Solemnity of Christ the King was the “sheep and goat” Gospel. In it, two groups were being judged by the King. The sheep were welcomed into heaven because they helped the King during their lives. The goats, on the other hand, were denied entrance as they had not helped the King in their lives.
Both sheep and goats asked the same question: “When did we see you?”
That is the same question we often ask of God as well. We wonder why we do not see Him or experience Him in our daily lives. The answer is quite humbling because God is all around us and is in the people we encounter. We just fail to realize it when we become too consumed with ourselves, with our own wishes and desires.
Yes. It is easy to block out God. We might think at one point that is incredulous, however, God does not force Himself upon us. He is around us in simplicity and is always available to us. When we clutter our vision with other things and pursuits, we find it extremely difficult to focus upon Him.
We need to trust that God is around us and in the people we encounter. Then, based upon that trust, we need to reach out to Him by helping those around us, by welcoming those around us, and by encouraging those around us. The more that we place our focus on those around us rather than upon ourselves, the better chance we will have of recognizing God in others.
Since God will not force Himself upon us, it demands a conscious decision on our part that we look for Him. In order to do so, we have to take our eyes off of ourselves. We have to quit worrying about our own wants and desires. We have to try to see the need that others have and do all that we can to meet that need.
When we do all of that we will be able to recognize God in others.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to open your eyes to His presence all around you.