Fix Your Gaze on Him

Here is my practice homily from the daily readings on September 23rd, 2010:

If you have ever seen Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ, you might remember the scene with Jesus and the adulteress. If you haven’t seen the movie, at least you’ll recognize it from scripture: a mob of accusers have caught a woman in adultery and are ready to stone her for her sins. They bring her to Jesus and he tells them those famous words, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” You know this story, right? Well in the movie, this scene is rather dramatically presented. After the mob breaks up one by one, dropping their stones and leaving, it cuts to the woman, who is obviously in great distress. She crawls toward Jesus with her face turned away and reaches out for the man who has saved her life. As she reaches his feet, he gives her his hand, and as she looks up, she finds Christ gazing at her with the most loving and forgiving expression on his face. I could take that seen and go back to it again and again and again in prayer. When I picture Him gazing at me, it’s as if the entire world could pass away 100 times over, and I would be oblivious to it. There’s something mesmerizing about that gaze.

Some were saying “John has been raised from the dead’; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets.” Both Herod and St. Peter listen to these false claims about Jesus, but they react very differently to them. Luke tells us that Herod “kept trying to see him.” We know later that once they finally meet, Herod “had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him” and “was hoping to see some miracle worked by him.” Herod saw Jesus as nothing other than a man. Peter, on the other hand, knew very well that Jesus was “the Christ of God.” He knew this because he saw with the eyes of faith. He not only saw Jesus the man, but Jesus the Christ.

Peter knew the gaze of Christ. He received it as he betrayed him. But like the adulteress, that gaze was full of love and forgiveness. He longs to give you that—each and every one of you.

If we see the world the way Herod did, with expectation and faithlessness, we find ourselves searching endlessly for miracles and signs from God, but to no avail. We will keep trying to see him, but will never find him. If we have the eyes of faith, like Peter did, we will see Him everywhere. We will know his gaze, we will feel His love, and it will be mesmerizing.