10TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. 

When a person’s face is veiled, a very essential part of them is hidden, a part that can reveal their thoughts or emotions. When Paul talks about the ancient Israelites’ hearts being veiled, he is saying there was something that made them unable to perceive God fully. Something cut them off from seeing his face.

Of course, Paul didn’t mean they couldn’t see God at all. Paul meant that they didn’t have the full revelation of God yet. They had the Law of Moses to follow and to meditate on. They had the privilege of worshipping at the Temple, and they had feast days and sabbath days when they could gather to pray. But there was still something missing.

When Jesus came, the veil was removed. By being born and living among us, Jesus showed us the face of God. It was the face of a God who is not distant but very near to us (Acts 17:27). Finally, after long years of waiting, God revealed the love and compassion that moved him to enter into our humanity and save us.

Today, we know the truths about Christ’s work of salvation, but in order to “see” him, we have to turn to him. There are many ways we can do this. In the pages of Scripture, we see Jesus healing and reaching out to the lost. As we look at a crucifix, we can see the sacrifice of love he made for us. We can see him in the faces of the people around us, especially the poor. In the Tabernacle at church, we can see his great humility in being present in the Eucharistic Bread.

Think about what happens each time you “see” Jesus in one of these ways. When his grace and mercy touch you, you are changed. You know that you are loved eternally, no matter what you have done. You experience the peace that comes from knowing you are forgiven. Your anxieties lessen as you begin to see things from an eternal perspective. And you also want to be better—to be more like him.

So turn to Jesus today. Let him remove the veil and open your eyes to the face of God.

“Lord, I want to see you today!”

Psalm 85:9-14
Matthew 5:20-26
2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6

WORD AMONG US