Open-eyed, wide-eyed

Luke 24:31 At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.

Do I recognize Jesus when he is standing right in front of me? The disciples were his closest friends, and all the way along the road to Emmaus, they talked and listened as he quoted scripture, explaining what had happened to him and why, helping them to understand. Yet they did not recognize him. It was at that moment of breaking of the bread, when Jesus blessed it as he had just a few nights before, for what they had thought was the last time, that they suddenly saw him clearly standing there. At that same moment, as soon as the realization hit, he was gone.

There is a saying in the Holy Land that "Holy places move." What one generation insisted was the place where something happened, the next generation decides was somewhere else. God, and the Spirit, can't be pinned down. As soon as I recognize the movement of Spirit in my life, as soon as I find and recognize something that I am doing that seems to invite the Spirit, it stops working and disappears. And I have to approach the issue in a fresh way. Authentic living is not something that can be done by rote, or custom or habit. I utilize practices, contemplative prayer and others, to invite spirit, but by their very nature, they are unpredictable and quixotic. God is not like a magic trick I can conjure at my will. God appears and disappears at His own behest, and my job is to follow the best way I can.

Perhaps this is why it is so hard to recognize Jesus when he is standing in front of me. The unexpected nature of the Divine shakes me out of my complacence and in a moment of clarity and power, reveals Itself to me in surprising and startling ways. I know my friends who volunteer with the homeless describe to me moments when they look into one of their client's faces and see the face of Christ. There are times when I am consulting with clients, times of wonder, or realization, or reflection when God seems fully present in the raw freshness of the moment. I try to pause at those moments, to let it sink in, to fully experience that Presence, and to thank God for being such an integral part of who I am. I never know when it is going to happen, and it disappears as soon as I become aware, but I love the God who reveals Herself to me in these precious and sacred ways.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for these moments of revelation that You bring to my life. I ask for an open and receiving heart that I may see more of Your Presence in this challenging and difficult world. Amen.