The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II Monday in the Third Week of Easter, 24 April 2023 Acts 6:8-15 ><)))*> + <*(((>< John 6:22-29
Many times people ask me how your face looks like, Lord? Often I tell them you are spirit like the angels without a physical face as we know so well but even I, dear Lord, wonder too how your face really looks like. Today's first reading does not give us a direct answer to that but somehow helps us a lot in finding the meaning of what's in a face, inviting us to face our face.
All who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him (Stephen) and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 6:15
In Genesis, we are told you created us in your image and likeness, O God, the crowning glory of all your creation; image and likeness imply a face, an identity, a recognition; O Lord, help us to find your face, to imitate your face, to have a face like yours that must be totally different from the face of those in the Sanhedrin who looked intently at Stephen. How sad that it is either we could not look at the face of others because of lack of interest or with anger and suspicion that we look intently for the wrong reason; what a face we have filled with malevolence and negativities, locked in ourselves unlike the face of an angel, your face that must be aglow with love and joy, openness and kindness!
On the other hand, like those people looking for Jesus who found him at Capernaum, we also have a thick face, a shameless one that sees the other face for self-interests; no matter how we hide what's in our heart, the face would always show and radiate what is inside us! And so we pray, dear Jesus today, as we face another week of work and studies, another week of showing our face, looking or avoiding other's faces, let us face the truth within us by purifying our hearts of our pride so that our face may be filled with warmth and tenderness to reflect your presence in our hearts. Amen.
