Loving the Hidden Christ in Our Visible Neighbor

Dear Ladies,

 I’m sure we would all acknowledge that as women we are particularly taken and moved by the details and intricacies of the world around us. This is certainly true of our relationships and friendships as well. We nurture our individual relationships with each of our relatives, and we tend not to consider how many friends we have but rather who they are specifically. We are capable of noticing differences, similarities, and the subtle nuances of those who make up our communities, and we love the variety they encompass. God has given us a particular gift for loving each and every single individual we meet. This is an advantage, because Christ also sees and loves every individual, and He gives us our neighbors so that we may love the unique way in which each person reflects Him.

St. Catherine of Siena, the first female Doctor of the Church, wept when Christ commanded her to leave the solitude of her cell in which she spent every moment with Him. He said, “Go it is dinner time, and the members of your family are about to sit down at table. Go and join them, and then come back to me.” She did not understand why He was sending her away. He replied, “Be calm gentle daughter, for that is the way in which you must fulfill all justice and permit My grace to bear its fruits, not only in you but also through others. I have no intention of separating you from Me in any way, but I want you to use the love of your neighbor to unite yourself more strongly to Me.” St. Catherine was greatly aware of the importance of following God’s will in great and small matters. As women, we are endowed with a particular gift for fostering individual relationships. May we, like St. Catherine, love the hidden Christ in our visible neighbor. If each individual moment is willed by God, then each individual person we encounter presents great possibility, because in that moment Christ asks us to love Him and be present to Him. C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory, emphasizes that everyone has an immortal soul, even those who may bore us or who we may overlook. He points out that every encounter we have with another human being has eternal consequences, and that one day we may see that person in heaven. I encourage you, today, to look at every person you may encounter throughout your day, and pray that one day he or she may, with you, see the face of God.