Why did Herod want to see Him? I think it may have been out of curiosity or more probably fear that it was John the Baptist, or some other prophet that had come back to life that was going to give him a hard time for his sins. More importantly, where did he look for Him?
We might also ask ourselves why we want to seek Christ. Is it for understanding, consolation, healing, love, or maybe reparation? Or are we trying to find Him simply to know where He is, so we can try to hide our sins from Him? *Spoiler alert: It’s impossible that He won’t know us and our sins. That still won’t stop many from trying.
And if we are looking for Christ, where do we look for Him? Do we seek Him in our government? In the mainstream media? Social media? Most of the time, I submit, these places do their damnedest to hide Jesus at every turn. If we are not finding Jesus as much as we would like, maybe it is because we are looking for Him in the wrong places.
Admit it or not, we all keep trying to see Him – sometimes with more success than other. How often do we search and cry out asking where is God? I firmly believe that throughout my life, throughout all the struggles, disappointments, and losses, God was always there. My mother set that example for me. I watched her: always faithful, no matter what, that God was there. When my Dad died. When my brothers died. Any time there was a death or illness in my mother’s ‘circle of influence’, she turned even more to prayer. She never doubted for an instant that her God was there for her and that her loved ones were in the arms of Jesus. Her unfailing faith taught me to believe in a God that would always support me and walk with me. When she passed away at 95 years old, the little prayer book with the daily prayers she always said was on the table by the hospital bed. She had a rosary collection with over 100 rosaries from all over the world that she requested I give out to anyone who asked after she died. That image is still so powerful to me 5 years after she passed away!
So, throughout my life in both good times and no so good, I knew (and know) that God is with me. It fosters an attitude of gratitude in my many blessings – I see that God created a beautiful world that continues to awe me, literally from sea to shining sea. I see God in the faces of my children and grandchildren. I see God in all the loving actions of my wife. I try to find (and see) God in all things. When I forget this and start seeing the negatives of everything around me, I am gently called back to my loving, all-present God. A special song will play, a star twinkle more brightly, a person will reach out, a flower bloom at just the right time – I am reminded that God and my BFF Jesus are always there by my side no matter how cloudy things look. When my heart and mind are in the right place, the world is truly a beautiful place full of good things, good places, and good people. I am reminded that this loving, all-present God that I long to see is merciful and always sees and accepts me as a beloved sinner. So . . . I will keep trying to see Him.
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