THE SOUL, FORTUNATELY, HAS AN INTERPRETER – OFTEN AN UNCONSCIOUS BUT STILL A FAITHFUL INTERPRETER – IN THE EYE.

CHARLOTTE BRONTË

Looking into your parents’ eyes, or your children’s there is something scarily familiar. It might take a while to figure out what that is but eventually you will realise that their eyes are your eyes. We can go beyond family and apply this to those we meet on a day to day basis. When you look them in the eyes, what do you see? When you and I finally get to meet God again we will find something familiar about His eyes too. Perhaps we will recognize the eyes that have been focused on us forever have been His. Eyes are often called the window to the soul. Eyes show it all. Happy, sad, tired, down or confused.

In Psalm 27 we hear “It is your face oh Lord that I seek, hide not your face”. When we come face to face with others, we are asked to meet them with respect, compassion and love the same way that Christ loves at us. Wouldn’t you like to see two eyes that look at you, the way nobody else does? Wouldn’t you like to read into those eyes and see incredible understanding, compassion and no judgement? When you come face to face with others during your works with the Society, what do they see when they look into your eyes. Do they see Christ looking back at them?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• When was the last time you intentionally looked someone in the eye?
• Who do you think people see when they look into your eyes?

From: Firewood for the soul, vol. 1, A Reflexion Book for the Whole Vincentian Family
St. Vincent de Paul Society, Queensland, Australia.
Text by: Samantha Hill.