“We know that, if it shall be made clear we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.”

                                                                     1 John 3:1-2

There is a story of a poor and simple man who would go to the cathedral to pray; and he would always pray before he crucifix. Someone noticed that, though he knelt in the attitude of prayer, his lips never moved, and he never seemed to say anything. He asked the man what he was doing kneeling like that, and the man answered: “I look at Him, and He looks at me.” That is the vision of God in Christ that the simplest soul can have; he who looks long enough at Jesus Christ must become like Him. Isn’t it like the gaze of a trusting child looking confidently into the eyes of a loving Father? This is such a powerful teaching of St. John in today’s scripture that we need to take time to absorb its impact. What better time to do this than at Easter! At Easter we are especially reminded of the loving sacrifices that God has made for us through Jesus, particularly His paschal mystery of overcoming death. We are so special to God but hardly believe that, let alone pay any attention to it in our prayer. It is by the gift of God that a person becomes a child of God. When it comes to being begotten by a father, there are two English words which are closely connected but whose meanings are widely different: paternity and fatherhood. Paternity describes a relationship in which a man is responsible for the physical existence of a child; fatherhood describes an intimate, loving relationship. In the sense of “paternity” all people are children of God; but in the sense of fatherhood, we are children of God only when we meet Him in prayer, and we respond in love. This is what true prayer is all about: gazing at God with simple, loving trust. Then what shall we make of St. John’s idea that “we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.”? Jesus is our Good Shepherded who watches over us and guides us. We know that we have become like Jesus when we watch over our brothers and sisters in need; we actually see the face of God in their reflection of love for us.         ~ Fr. John