That was the question asked by the speaker giving the reflection at at recent Taize service I attended. What do you see, he asked, when you look at the candles in the front of the church? What do you see when you look at the cross? What do you see when you look at the tabernacle? What do you see when you look at the faces of the people around you?
I was reminded of his talk when I opened a solicitation envelope last night that contained a bookmark. The bookmark included a quote by Teilhard de Chardin that read: “Our faith does not cause us to see different things, but to see things differently.”
What do you see when you look at the cross? A dead man who obviously suffered before his death? Or a symbol of the triumph over death?
What do you see when you look at the tabernacle? A closet for leftover bread? Or the real presence of Christ?
What do you see when you look around you in the pews? Some strangers? Or your brothers and sisters?
You can ask yourself the same question with respect to everything you see. And what you will discover is that looking with the eyes of faith makes all the difference in the world.
Creo en Dios! 