Face of Christ

During a recent homily, my pastor said “We are the face of Christ.” We partake in his saving mission as our Lord works through each of us with his love. Jesus gives his love personally to us through the Holy Eucharist.

With the Eucharist, we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. Christ’s real presence enters our body, mind, heart and soul. Remember: God is love, made manifest in Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself for our sake.

Therefore, when we receive the Holy Eucharist, not only do we receive God’s love, we take on the mission to share this love. Sharing our Lord's love in this world, the face of Christ shines through us. Truly by our desire and devotion, we can experience a glorious transformation as children of God!

Our Lord’s Presence

The question is: Are we willing to make a lifetime commitment to cultivate the desire for God that God has for each of us? To cultivate this desire, we cannot keep God’s love to ourselves. Our mission is to help others experience it as well.

Of course, we need courage to show the face of Christ. It means putting ourselves out there for everyone to see our commitment to God in an increasingly secular world. A recent Gallup Poll shows that belief in God continues to decline particularly among young people.

Most certainly, our world needs God’s love; it needs to encounter Christ. If people do not believe in God, they do not see the greatness of his love which gives eternal life. With our Lord, we have salvation. Without our Lord—without his love—life comes to a dead end.

If we are committed, we can bring God’s love—our Lord’s presence—to those who desperately need it. By allowing our Lord’s loving presence into our lives, we open the way for God’s healing and sanctification. We can help spread God’s healing grace by the way we live.

Hearts and Minds

Therefore, how do we change the hearts and minds that are closed to our Lord’s presence? We do so by remaining devoted to God and sharing our witness to God’s love. Remember, declining faith tears at the heart of our Lord’s greatest commandments. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [Matthew 22: 37-39]

We need to show and spread the word that, despite our imperfections, God offers his love to us and gives meaning to our lives. Consuming the Holy Eucharist feeds our devotion and gives us strength for our mission. Then by our daily prayers and acts of mercy and kindness, we keep faith, hope, and love alive, not only for ourselves, but for all the lives we touch. 

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” [Matthew 25: 35, 36] Our prayers and good works for the glory of God maintain the bond between heaven and earth. With our Lord's grace, we light the way for others to see God’s love, to see the face of Christ. Amen!