Behind the Veil

“Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” (Mt 17:1-2)
 
"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory unto glory.” (2 Cor 3:18)
 
“Let us arise, then, at last, 
for the Scripture stirs us up, saying, 
"Now is the hour for us to rise from sleep" (Rom. 13:11).
Let us open our eyes to the deifying light…” (RB Prol.)
 
The light of Jesus’ unveiled face changes us – it is a deifying light.  Can we see God and live?  No, not in the same way.  The road leads from Tabor to Golgotha and we, too, walk that road.  But the face of glory strengthens us to look upon the face of suffering.  The disciples are slain by what they see.  They fall down and must be awakened by the touch of Jesus.  At Gethsemane too, they will fall down and sleep, rather than look on the holy Face.  “It is high time for us to arise from sleep” and look upon the face of Christ and hear his voice.
 
St Benedict reminds us of the astounding fact that we live constantly under the “deifying light” of God’s gaze (RB Prol.).  If our eyes were truly open we could see the glory of God on the face of Christ – the suffering Christ.  The sight of our brothers and sisters who weep and bleed and are overshadowed by darkness would not leave us indifferent or in despair, because we would see the face of the suffering Christ and – at the same moment – the face of glory as if behind a veil.
 
Lord, give me eyes to see your face, in suffering and in glory, especially in those I meet daily.  These everyday faces are the sacrament of all humanity.  Let not the blood and spittle hide your image.  Let not the pain they may cause me blind me to your glory leaking out from behind the veil.

Image: J. Kirk Richards