Journeying to Grace

I was again in the nearby adoration chapel with a specific issue and person in my prayer. As I focused ahead, the beautiful monstrance was of course on the altar revealing the Body of Christ which is what I came to see and feel and listen to. Yet off to the left side of the altar, the side I was on, was a crucifix in a stand several feet high. On this particular visit to the chapel, I was drawn to the crucifix as much as I was to the monstrance. I quickly realized that if my focus was fully on the Body of Christ on the altar, I could only see the crucifix out of the corner of my eye. If my attention was fully on the crucifix, I could only see the Body of Christ out of the corner of my eye. I reflected on that for several hours after I left.

But that’s how it is: The life-giving, true presence of Christ and the suffering of Christ on the cross—one in focus but the other always equally present. We may seek the living, resurrected Christ to accompany us in our joys and to receive our prayers of gratitude. And we may bring the confusion and turmoil of our lives to the cross where we find the sacrificial love of Christ waiting to share in our suffering. While at the chapel, I thought it wasn’t possible to (at least I was unable to) acknowledge both at the same time. But no, it is the same Lord, giving us life while sharing in our hurts. The one Lord who desires us to come to Him whether in happiness or in despair. He is ready to walk with us and lighten our burdens so that in trust, we have more peaceful, faithful, and comforted hearts.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we’ll hear about specific moments of faith in the healing love of Jesus. And we will hear (as we have many times before) ‘Do not be afraid; just have faith.’ (Mk 5:36) It can be a struggle to release our fears and surrender them in faith, but as I envision one image of Christ with the other in the corner of my eye, I am comforted by the complete presence of the Lord and His offer of reassuring grace.