Seeing God Clearly

---by Catherine of Maria's Lilies http://blog.saintmariasmessenger.com

Every Sunday I go to morning Mass. And nearly every Sunday I forget my glasses. I don't know how I seem to do this so often. Though I only have to wear them for distance, Church is one of the places I absolutely need them. But somehow or other--whether it's the weekly rush to get out the door or the dizzying anticipation of Christ's presence-- the pattern continues.

Several Sundays ago I realized I had left my glasses behind again. Now I don't know if the rainy, overcast weather had anything to do with it since it was quite dim inside the church, but my eyesight seemed exceptionally bad that morning. It seemed as if there were a misty shroud clouding my vision, blending everyone into a big, blurry haze. It was strange in that I could see the priest's form quite well; I just couldn't discern his features. As he spoke, I squinted my eyes so as to get a clearer view, but to no avail. Finally I gave up trying to distinguish what was around me and just listened, closing my eyes at times. After all, I didn't really need to see in order to hear what was being said. Still, all I wanted to do was don my glasses and sense everything around me instantly go into focus.

It is the same with God. While on earth, we are unable to see Our Lord clearly, or as clear as we would like. On the contrary, our ability to see God is vague and limited, as it is with anything relating to the divine. This distorted view of God can be frustrating at times, but no matter how hard we try, we can only get an obscure glimpse into His glory, often making us feel like we need spiritual spectacles to get a better picture!

This is even more evident when we receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. As St. Thomas Aquinas tells us in his famous Eucharistic Prayer, we receive God "under the veil of a sacrament." Because of the miraculous marvel of Transubstantiation, Our Lord remains hidden in the tabernacle. He is the Invisible God, concealed under the appearances of bread and wine. We can not recognize or detect His presence with our earthly eyes, but we know and believe that underneath the exterior guise, Christ is truly there, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Yet even with this knowledge, we still desire and crave for Christ to reveal Himself to us.

The Apostles must have felt the same way. Even they, who walked and talked with Our Lord on earth, were not able to see everything. Only at the moment of the Transfiguration were a few of them allowed to observe some measure of Christ's glory and divinity. But because they believed, they were able to perceive more than most. Hence we see by believing.

This reminds me of a famous episode in the Gospel of Luke, when the blind man was restored to sight. This poor unseeing soul came to Christ, fervently beseeching His mercy and healing. When Christ asked the man what he wanted done to him, he replied in faith, "Lord, that I may see," whence Jesus replied, "Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole." The Bible says, "...and immediately he saw.."

Isn't it wonderful to ponder that at the moment when it so pleases God, the mask we have worn throughout our earthly existence will be torn from our eyes, and we will see our Creator, eye to eye, face to face? No longer will we have to walk the earth swathed in spiritual blindness. "For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed; nor hid, that shall not be known" (Matt. 10: 26).

When we get to heaven, we, like the apostles, will experience our own transfiguration; a change, both within ourselves and in the manner we view God. At the moment, because of sin and the faulty nature of the world, there is a heavy film blurring our view of all that is holy, like a cloud obscuring the moon. But as soon as the cloud drifts by, the splendor of the moon will shine forth, and the moon will be eclipsed no longer. No longer will we be "blind to the radiance of eternal light." Our eyes will be enlightened, everything will go into focus, and we will behold God's heavenly splendor in a perfect perception of angelic radiance.

It is difficult waiting for that magnificent moment of unveiling, since it is a natural, inherent part of our immortal souls to yearn for the Beatific Vision. In the meantime, all we can do is close our eyes and listen, while praying the humble and earnest request of the blind man in our hearts--"Lord, that I may see."

"Lord, I long to see your face. I like to close my eyes and think that, when God wills, the moment will come when I will be able to see him, not as in a mirror dimly, but...face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). Yes, my heart yearns for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? (Ps. 41:3)--From Holy Rosary, by St. Josemaria Escriva.

Catherine is a 21-year-old graduate of Ashworth College's Professional Children's Writing Program and a current student with the Institute of Children's Literature. As a former Teen Editor of True Girl, her writing has been published on The Catholic Young Woman blog and in TG and Saint Maria's Messenger. She is also a regular contributor to the Catholic blog for young girls, Maria's Lilies.