Windows on the sacred

Scripture references

• Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 11:18, 26-28, 32

• Romans 1: 16-17; 3:20-26, 28
• Matthew 7:21-27

Reflection

Clergy and laity who frequent the Ukrainian Catholic Church or other Eastern Churches are much more familiar with icons rather than statues as part of their religious tradition.  In the Eastern Churches, icons are thought of as windows through which we can gaze on the image of Christ, our Mother or one of the saints.  

In fact, both the Eastern and the Western Churches believe that Christ himself is a window through which human beings can glimpse the face of God, but even before the coming of Christ, the scriptures speak of some moments, truly rare, where humans were able to see the face of God.  Such encounters changed both the lives of the seers and of those around them.

The book of Deuteronomy, from which we read in the first reading today tells a part of the explanations that Moses gave after he had encountered God (Deut 10:12-11:32).  Having gazed on the face of God himself, Moses became the messenger of God, calling the people to love God and to be devoted to him in all things.  The reward for fidelity is God’s promise of life.  Ever since that time, humanity has tried to live up to this invitation, but the reality is that we haven’t always had the best track record in following orders, and so the original covenant has been broken.

Thankfully, God gave us another chance.  He sent his Son Jesus, and Jesus taught by word and example about what the kingdom is like.  This is why we believe that in Jesus we have yet another window into the sacred, another opportunity to peek into the realm of God, and to discover the fullness of who and what we are meant to be.  According to Jesus, it’s relatively easy to get to heaven.  All we have to do is ‘the will of the Father’ (Mt 7:21).  We discover the will of the Father through prayer and the key to true wisdom is that our actions should be motivated by our prayer (Mt 7:24-27).

Having heard the words of Jesus, and believed in them, the apostles themselves became windows to the sacred, encouraging others to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  In the letter to the Romans (1:16-17), the writer encourages us to discover the righteousness of God which is explained in the gospel because God’s justice sets us free from that which enslaves us.

Even today, there are other examples of living icons walking and talking among us.  Holy people who rely on their faith to guide them, and who strive every day to live honestly, to love truthfully and to bring happiness to others by sharing the treasures of faith are models for the rest of us.  Such people would often be the last to admit that they are saints in the making; rather, they tend to be the first to point out their own faults, sinfulness and need for mercy, but this is exactly what makes them who they are.

Earlier this week, the Bishops of Canada announced that special collections would be held in all parishes across the country to assist with the catastrophe in Myanmar.  This weekend and next weekend, we will accept any donations you wish to contribute toward assisting the victims of the cyclone that devastated that country last month.  Funds will then be forwarded through Development and Peace to Caritas Internationalis which is on the ground in Myanmar, assisting those who need our help most.  The Canadian International Development Agency has also said that they will match any donation made to this effort before June 13.  This is one way that we can respond to the gospel call to be icons of hope for our world.

Parents are also windows on the sacred for their children, and children themselves are often windows for their parents, revealing the sacredness of God through their innocence and sincere love.  Some of the children of this parish are receiving the Eucharist for the first time this weekend.  Let’s remember them in our prayer, asking God to nourish them well so that they can continue to be icons, windows of God’s love for all of us.