Scripture Reflection, February 28, 2010: Come, Seek God's Face

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
Phillippians 3:17—4:1 or 3:20—4:1
Luke 9:28b-36

We are all called to seek God’s face. We can hear this call everywhere–at mass, in our personal prayer, in our conversations and relationships with close friends, from strangers, in nature, in our everyday lives, in art, and through our families and communities. But most importantly, this call, our deepest desire, to seek God comes from ours hearts, which God has created for us so that we can truly know God’s love as our light and our salvation, and so that we can celebrate that love with our lives and share it. “‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek God’s face.’” (Psalm 27: 8).

It is in the seeking, the conscious and sometimes difficult seeking, that we see God’s face. In the first reading and the gospel, we see two very different experiences of seeing God’s face. In Genesis, God tells Abraham (Abram, at time) to “‘Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can’” (Genesis 15: 5). God’s greatness is all around us, and sometimes it’s huge and unfathomable like the starry night sky. We sleep under the same sky every night, but how often do we take the opportunity to look up and wonder at God’s creation? I know it’s easy for me to forget to look up and thank God for the stars, God’s constant loving presence, and all the gifts that God has chosen to share with me, especially as I trudge home through the snow from the library or the Newman Center late at night.

But even though I sometimes miss that opportunity to marvel at God’s greatness and love for me, when I get home, God gives me another chance. My roommate Stefanie is usually up working late at her computer, and often in our conversations she reminds me, “God loves you. Deal with it!” This really is one of her favorite phrases, and it captures the message of the first reading perfectly. As God reminds Abraham who He is, promises him descendants as numerous as the stars, and gives him signs that He will keep His promise, God might as well be saying, “I love you. Deal with it!”

In the gospel, we see God’s face in a completely different way. Jesus is transfigured: “While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white” (Luke 9:29). For James, Peter, and John who went with Jesus up the mountain, the event must have been confusing and even scary, but they also had the opportunity to see another facet of Jesus than the one they were used to seeing. Their teacher, leader, and close friend “changed in appearance” and was talking with Moses and Elijah. They saw Jesus, quite literally, in a different light, as God’s “chosen Son” (Luke 9:35).

I think that we are all called to see our teachers, leaders, close friends, and everyone we meet as transfigured. None of us is likely to have a chat with Moses and Elijah on a mountain, but we are called to see everyone as God’s chosen sons and daughters, because that’s exactly who they are. And since they are all children of God, our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can help each other seek God’s face together.

This past weekend, I lead Newman’s Awakenings Retreat, and I had the challenge and blessing of leading 43 retreatants and 16 staff members. I never would have thought that I could love them all as much as I did last weekend and do now. Before the retreat, I prayed that I would not get burnt out or frustrated, but mainly, I prayed that I could love and lead them how God wanted me to. The answer to my prayer, I know, was that I had to seek God’s face in each and every one of them and really see them all as children of God.

And with this prayer, both on retreats and everyday, “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Philippians 3:21). In other words, if we are open to seeking God and accepting all that that journey holds for us, God will transform us to imitate God’s love more fully, so that all our hearts say and do is “seek God’s face.”

Theresa Giuffrida

Theresa is a 2009 Catholics on Call alumna and is currently a senior at Truman State University, majoring in English and Spanish. She is also involved with the Catholic Newman Center there.

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