Seeing Jesus in one another…

As a boy, I had the bad habit of suspecting people wrongly, of accusing them unjustly, of branding them as bad, or putting them to boxes.

My mother detested that kind of attitude. Being fair, she encouraged me to be open-minded and took at the goodness in people.

Whenever I would suspect people, accuse them, or put them in boxes, as a way to stop me, my mother would say, “it takes one to know the other.”

A thief will be angry at his fellow thief. If you are angry at certain people, perhaps you see something of yourself in them. It takes one to know another. In the same way, that it also takes a good person to recognize another good person.

In Luke 9:7-9, Herod the Tetrarch, whom we read in the Gospel, could not recognize Jesus because, indeed, it takes one to know another. It takes another Jesus to know another Jesus.

Herod did not have enough of Jesus in his heart. This is why he could not recognize Jesus even when Jesus came face to face with him. It takes one to know another.

If we are unable to recognize Jesus in one another, could it be because we have not yet discovered Jesus in our hearts?

If we have not yet seen the face of Jesus in one another, could it be because we are not with Jesus?
This is why we cannot recognize Him in one another.

I pray to God that we may have just a little bit of Jesus in our hearts, so we may see Jesus in one another. If only all of us would have Jesus within us, just a little bit of Him, then there would be stronger unity, and life would be much better. Life would be easier, because we would be able to see Jesus in one another.

As you pray for me, please pray for my community here at the canyons of Chama so the monks will not fall into Herod’s situation. So that when Jesus comes in another person, we may recognize Him. Its takes one to know another!

It takes another Jesus to know another.
May we be Jesus for one another!…

Blessings to us all.