Eyes to See
Paula Hoeffer 04/09/14
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| Left to right Jancie Sevre Duszynska, ARCWP and Deacon Paula Hoeffer, RCWP/USA Paula will be ordained a priest in May in Cincinnati. Both are members of Resurrection Community in Cincinnati, Ohio 04/09/14  |
(1 Samuel 16,1b,6-7,10-13a & Luke 7,36-46))
Need I only say the name “Susan Boyle” for you to recall the cheeky
middle-aged plump woman who has on Britain Has Talent. And you may also recall
the smirks and cynical looks from the judges as well as the audience when she
first appeared on stage.
Then, from within, with clarity
and beauty, came the song “I Dreamed a Dream.” Her singing stunned the judges
and audience!
“Pay no attention to appearances” that was God's advice to Samuel in
our first reading, as he was to choose a new leader for the Israelites from
among Jesse's sons.
God is telling us to look beyond
the gift wrap, to the gift within, to the heart, the place where God
dwells in each of us.
In today's Gospel reading, we hear the Pharisees say,
“If this fellow were the Prophet, he would know who this woman is who
is touching him, and what a low reputation she has.”
Well Jesus did know who this woman was. He saw the gift within, he saw
her heart.
I saw something on YouTube called God's Glasses, that illustrated this
way of seeing so well. As a man is leaving his house he is clearly irritated by
the happenings in his life. First
a kid on a skateboard gets in his way,
then the traffic jams,
then someone “steals” his parking space,
then a long line in the coffee shop....
well you get the picture, nothing is going right. Then someone
approaches him and hands him a pair of glasses. When he puts them on, it's as
if he had prayed, “Open my eyes, God, help me to see.”
Because now through the glasses, as he views everyone he encountered
that mourning, they had labels on them which spoke of their heart. Labels like:
grieving her best
friend
or discontent with
life
or fighting
additions
works two jobs to feed her kids
just needs a hug
recently lost his
job
or needs someone
to listen and care
feel worthless.
Remember, God said “Pay no attention to appearances.” Wouldn't
it be astonishing if we all had those glasses?....those glasses of compassion.
Not just for seeing into the heart of casual encounters as this fellow did, but
what about when we are in conflict with,
or judgmental toward those with whom we live, toward our spouse, ... our friends, our family, our coworkers,.
Or even as Jesus said “our enemies.” ….or the patriarchal church.
It's not easy, especially when dealing with difficult people or
situations to see beyond appearances into their heart. It's easier to see them
through our eyes.
We see the hurt they cause us.
We see the wrong they have done us.
We see their actions through the lenses of our own personal experience
and feelings.
Through God's eyes we could see them as a hurting, frightened,lost or
misinformed person.
Through God's eyes we see their woundedness, their confusion, their
fear, their brokenness.
And if we seek wholeheartedly, we could even see their possibilities
instead of their liabilities. Looking beyond appearances takes the focus off of
us and keeps us from taking things personally....looking beyond appearances
into their vulnerable heart, bypassing the wrapping paper to get to the gift.
Those glasses can be transforming not only when looking at people, but
also at life situations. My diagnosis of cancer, a rare gastro-intestinal
tumor, suspicious liver, blood clot , possibly inoperable, was not a pretty
wrapping paper.
But beyond the appearance of this ugly gift wrap I eventually discovered
a valuable gift inside.
The gift of appreciating
the present moment
...the gift of a deeper trust and faith in God
...the gift of accepting and embracing my mortality
..the gift of a joy-filled gratitude love for life, for Ed, my family
and friends, and my community. Yes all of you. I am so grateful for your
prayers, your hugs, your encouragement, your love,....these are gifts to me.They
have lifted me up.
Sometimes I think little people have a way saying the simple truth
without ever realizing it. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, my six year
old grandson came up to me and said, “Congratulations on your cancer, Grandma!”
I didn't know what he meant by that then, or if he even knew, but now I
know, the cancer was a gift!
Now here is the good news... we all own a pair of those glasses!
Jesus said, “I will send my Spirit to be with you always.”
How do we convert initial appearances to transforming gifts? Symptoms
to significances? We go deep within our own hearts, in quiet meditation, and
listen to the Spirit.
I invite each of us to take a brief moment now to reflect on a current
situation or a person in our life that we would need to look beyond appearances
and into the heart and listen to what the response might be.
(Allow a few minutes of quiet)
Take some time this week to take that to prayer. Open my eyes, God,
help me to see!
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