(Inspired by John 12:44-50)
“He who believes in me,
believes not in me but in him who sent me.
And he who sees me
sees him who sent me.
I have come as light into the world
that whoever believes in me
may not remain in darkness.”
Jesus, what is it that allows us,
in looking upon you, to see the Father?
What is it that makes our faith
—the surrender of our hearts to you—
a surrender to the One who sent you?
Ah, dear Jesus, it is because you are the Son,
the Beloved One, who always rests,
unceasingly, in his bosom, in his embrace.
When you come to us, when you are sent,
you do not for a moment leave your Father,
but rather bridge the gap between us,
fallen children of God, and him who loves us,
with the fullness of your filial presence.
Because your face always reflects his face,
like a crystal lake, still and clear,
in which every contour shines with purity…
because of this, Jesus, when we look at you,
we see the face of our loving Father reflected.
Because you dwell unceasingly, Christ,
in the truth of your identity
—which is identical with your belovedness,
with the Father’s love and gift
reflected in your being, received from him,
and given back in the purity of love—
when you turn to us, all manifests this truth.
Your every word, your every act,
your very countenance and expression,
shines with the light of the Father’s love.
We feel, we sense, we see in you, Jesus,
that you are One who knows that he is Beloved.
This is the source of your confidence,
your unshakable peace and joy,
your sovereign freedom in the face of all things.
The whole path of your saving obedience
is indeed but a manifestation of this truth
of your constant and undying intimacy with the Father.
It is enveloped in that joy of the Trinity’s life,
and does not for a moment unfold outside of this.
Rather, through this loving obedience,
this ardent and burning compassion for us,
you pierce into our waywardness and fear,
re-opening us by your love and tender presence
to the face of the Father shining for us,
to the truth of our identity—our belovedness.
Yes, by your gentle touch, your consoling presence,
you still the tormented waters of our soul,
so that what before was restless, storm-tossed,
may again become calm and still…
and in this way reveal the image of the Father’s love,
reflected, reflected, reflected in our heart,
shining on the face of our soul.
Confidence, security, and peace,
Jesus, are to be found here…
in the all-enveloping truth of your love,
in the certainty that the light reflected in us
is but the light of tender and unconditional love,
a love utterly unique and special for each one.
And only within this truth of belovedness,
in the confident security of our identity
—which is true, already, in each moment,
a pure gift flowing from the hands of God—
can we also discern the path we are to walk,
the way of obedience in the freedom of love.
Yes, within the all-enfolding truth of love,
by abiding unceasingly in belovedness,
dear Jesus, our own countenance, our own life,
our own existence can freely reflect
the image of the Father’s face, to every person,
this image which shines unceasingly in our heart.