Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Powers of Distortion

     “To see another human being as he really is means to lay ourselves open to his influence. Thus when fear or dislike moves us to avoid him, this reaction is already evident in our gaze; the eye characterizes him, stifling the good, heightening the bad. We discern his intentions, make swift comparisons, and leap to conclusions. All this proceeds involuntarily, if not unconsciously (in which case our powers of distortion, uncurbed by reason, so their worst). Seeing is a protective service to the will to live. The deeper our fear or distaste of a person, the more tightly we close our eyes to him, until finally, we are incapable of perception, or the profound German word for it, Wahrnehmen: reception of truth. Then we have become blind to that particular person. This mysterious process lies behind every enmity. Discussion, preaching, explanations are utterly useless. The eye simply ceases to register what is plainly to be seen. Before there can be any change, a fundamental shift must take place in the general attitude. The mind must turn to justice, the heart expand; then only can the eye really begin to discern. Little by little the sheen of the object on which it rests strengthen its visual power, and slowing it recovers the health of the truth."                
                                                                                                      The Lord, Romano Guardini


     Unfortunately, we all experience this blindness! We are either the perpetrator or the victim. We have felt stunned, as we described in lurid detail, the actions of those with whom we struggle, as our listeners are blinded to what we see as truth! While at other times, we are the ones taken aback, by the lens with which a friend perceives someone, whom we see in an entirely different light.

     The way we see each person, effects our interactions with them. It shows in our eyes and tells them exactly how we feel about them. When it is good, a warmth and goodness radiate from us to them. But when we do not like them, it is evident as well! At best, a look of toleration, or one of duty, proceeds from our eyes. We cannot see them clearly. And once our vision has been tainted, it is difficult to stop our prejudicial thought pattern. It is like a snowball, rolling down the mountain, picking up speed and size! This dislike, this hate, did not happen overnight. It took months and even years to develop into the monster it has become! It has managed to distort our image of the person to such an extent, that we are not able to judge any actions, on their part, as worthwhile. We seem to see an underlying wickedness for everything they do. This negative presence in our lives, has become all-encompassing and has taken a place in our minds which is not warranted. They and their actions have become magnified to us, yet we are often not even on their radar!

     How do we overcome ourselves, whether we are perpetrator or victim? How do we change our distorted vision or allow the wound in our heart to begin to heal?

     It is only by the grace of God and imitating Jesus, that we can hope to be changed! We need a heart and vision transplant! We have to beg God to give us His heart and His eyes. We are weak and wounded and left to our own devices, we will fail. We must “put on the mind of Christ” and allow Him to do for us what we ourselves are incapable of doing!

    When Jesus walked this earth, His look, like ours, had the power to transform. Unlike ourselves, He was able to see into the heart of the person, with all the wounds and hurts which lay hidden to us. Jesus could look past the present condition of the person and see what they could become. He was able to call forth the goodness there present, and invite it to come forth. We too can do the same.

    Although we do not have the ability to see as Jesus did, our faith teaches us that God dwells within each person. It is easy to see God in those we love, but not with those we do not like. But somewhere deep within them, is God. There is a goodness present, which is hidden from our eyes. Mother Teresa often said that in some, Jesus wears a distressing disguise.  This, along with our own tainted vision, prevents us from seeing Him. We must ask God to help us to see Him, within the person who has hurt and wounded us badly.

     Imitating Jesus, is a challenge, but practice makes perfect! Being familiar with His words is the first step toward being able to fulfill them: “You have heard it said, ‘You should love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brother only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5 43-48).

     God is not asking for total perfection in all of our actions. What He wants is our openness to strive to love perfectly as He does. He is asking us not to close ourselves off to anyone but to see them through His eyes and love them with His heart. He is asking us to come to Him, the Divine Physician, when our vision needs some adjustment. He wants to cure our blindness and allow us to see Him in each and every person we meet! He longs to bestow upon us, His gaze of love, so we can love ourselves and others.

     Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you? He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”

     “Oh my dear sweet Jesus! Have pity on me!Allow me to see my blindness when it first happens, instead of allowing it to grow and overtake me. Sometimes I can be blinded by my pride, fear and preconceptions of others. I often judge by my own blurred vision. Please adjust my eyes when needed.  Help me to see with Your eyes of love and compassion. Help me to place my trust in Your grace and assistance to overcome my shortsightedness. Open my eyes to their goodness  and to Your presence within them. Expand my heart so I can see and recover the health of truth.” 
  
     Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you” (Lk 18: 41-42).
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

1 comment:

  1. Oh my, Avia Joy, do I struggle in this area!!!! I constantly pray for Our dear sweet Jesus to help me see people through His eyes. In my mind I can be so "arrogant" as told once in confession!!!! This is beautiful and so poignant! Please Lord, remove my blindness, arrogance, woundedness and pride. "Lord that I may see"

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