In Sunday's (November 6, 2022) Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38), Jesus explains that "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ... is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Yes, to God, all are alive.
As I reflected on this passage this week, it hit me for the first time how profound that statement is. To God, all are alive. This is a hint to answer the question, "How does God see you and me?" We are alive. The eternal and infinite One sees and loves each and every one of us, individually, in eternity, alive, as if we are the only one He ever created. You are alive to Him. Our ancestors are alive to Him. Our neighbors are alive to Him.
This reminded me of the Gospel a few weeks back (Luke 16: 19-31), and the story of a rich man with a poor man lying at his door. That Gospel reading gave us an insight into how the rich man and the poor man were seen by God, both now and after physical death. Maybe now would be a time to read that Gospel again.
Thinking about how God sees us, this also reminded me of a story about St. Pope John Paul II. He was said to be acutely aware of the people he encountered on a daily basis. Someone close to him, a member of the Swiss Guard, said that JPII prayed for everyone he encountered: "Lord, let me see them as you see them".
(See https://youtu.be/eUz2f10-I6o, around 59:45 - it is a long talk, but worth watching).
Imagine what it would be like to see someone that way, through the eyes of the Creator who loves them and has a purpose for them! When we see someone that way, we could pray further, "Let me love them as you love them."
In that light, when it comes to serving our neighbors, especially in volunteering in our communities, consider these challenge questions for this week:
Do we treat the poor, hungry, and homeless in our community as alive to God?
What would our relationship with them be like in the resurrection?
Can we change that?
Consider saying JPII's prayer for someone this week:
"Lord, let me see them as you see them. Let me love them as you love them."
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