Gazing on the face of Christ

This painting is done by Caravaggio, entitled The Calling of Matthew.  We were given a photocopy of this on the first evening of our retreat to set the tone for the week.  The topic of our retreat is 'Gazing on the Face of Christ', and our director is giving us ways that we view Christ as we encounter him.

Ultimately, when we come to prayer, we do so gazing upon the face of Jesus.  As in this painting, we look into his eyes, and he looks into ours.  What does he see?  What does he say?  And, what do we see?  What do we hear?  What do we say?

The look on Matthew's face speaks volumes.  We cannot see the face of Christ in this picture, so we can only guess what Matthew is seeing by the expression on his face.  And yet, the expression on MY face could be vastly different as I gaze upon Jesus' face at the very same time.

We are encouraged to gaze upon the face of Christ as he comes to us in our prayer and meditation, in the Scriptures and the sacraments, and in the people we encounter in the course of each day.  When we journey through this life seeing Jesus in all things, then we know we are indeed traveling the road that leads to our ultimate goal- eternal life in the Father's Kingdom of true and lasting peace.