The Look of Christ

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 08-04-16 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

The Look of Christ

Msgr. Charles Pope • August 4, 2016 •

I have a large icon of Christ in my room (see photo at right). What icons from the Eastern tradition do best is to capture “the look.” No matter where I move in the room, Christ is looking right at me. His look is intense, though not severe. In the Eastern spirituality, icons are windows into Heaven. Hence, this icon is no mere portrait that reminds one of Christ, it is an image that mediates His presence. When I look upon Him, I experience that He knows me. It is a knowing and comprehensive look.

Particularly in Mark’s Gospel, there is great emphasis on the eyes and the look of Jesus. A frequent expression in that Gospel is “And looking at them He said ….” Such a phrase (or a similar one) occurs more than 25 times in Mark’s Gospel.

Looking on Christ and allowing Him to look on you is a powerful moment of conversion. Jesus Himself said, For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn 6:40).

And the First Letter of John says, What we shall later be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 Jn 3:2).

There is just something within us that seeks the face of God and desires that look of love that alone can heal and perfect us. I often think of this verse from Scripture when I am at Eucharistic Adoration: Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. (Song 2:9). Yes, I long to see the Lord. Scripture also speaks of His longing to “see” us.

Here are some passages from Scripture that remind us to seek the face of the Lord and to look to Him:

1. Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! (1 Chron 16:11)
2. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chron 7:14).
3. You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek” (Ps 27:8).
4. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always (Ps 105:4).
5. I [the Lord] will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me (Hosea 5:15).
6. Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40).
7. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him (John 14:21).
8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matt 5:8).
9. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face (1 Cor 13:12).
10. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:6).

An old song says, “We shall behold Him, Face to face in all of His glory …. The angel will sound, the shout of His coming, And the sleeping shall rise, from their slumbering place. And those remaining shall be changed in a moment. And we shall behold Him, then face to face.”

Allow Christ to look on you.

This video is a wonderful collection of many of the looks of Jesus and the reaction of the people following those looks. Pay special attention. The video also features a lot of “looks” that come from us. Notice how people look upon Jesus and how they react as they do so. Look for the “looks” in this video. The final looks are especially moving.

[Mrs. Don-o]

OK,this must be non-sequitur day.

[ebb tide]

You said, "One [o]f the functions of Our Lord the Holy Spirit, is to inspire artists."

I'm just getting tired of people, including Pope Francis, claim the Holy Ghost is inspiring every abomination that pops into their heads.

[annalex]

Also

we all beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18)

[Mrs. Don-o]

There’s a difference between the glorious sacred art of a Catholic civilization, and revolting abominations. Please do not conflate the two.

Thank you.

[ebb tide]

Don’t worry; I’m not confused.

But what is confusing, if not downright heretical, is Amoris Laetitia and Laudato Si. Do you think either of those documents are “surprises” from the Holy Ghost?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Ha! No, the Holy Spirit is not just anything that’s blowin’ in the wind...

And Scripture says God is not the Author of confusion.

[boatbums]

Everyone can flame me all they want, but that line smacks of Idolatry. This is the reason the Jews never made or condoned any kind of art. And why the vast majority of Baptists do not hold with statues.

I agree. There IS a very good reason why God commanded His people to NOT make graven images of Him or anything else for the purpose of worship. He KNOWS us so well! I think people will be quite surprised to look upon the face of Jesus - the REAL one - because they will realize that whatever some artist imagined will be a poor substitute. When we go to be with Him we will see Him as He is - I think it will blow our minds!

[Boogieman]

“My dear Boogieman, if the Bible’s enough for you, why on earth are you quoting Tertullian?”

Apples & oranges. You take my response to a question about artwork, imagery, and then try to apply the answer to a question about commentary, the written word. They’re two entirely different things, so don’t assume my opinion on the one is the same of the other. I agree with Tertullian and he expresses the salient points on the matter better than I can, so why not quote him? I could make the case from the Bible myself but Tertullian already made it almost two millenia ago, so why go through the effort again for an internet comment board?

“BTW, the two greatest anti-idolatry voices in the early Church, Tertullian and Gregory the Great, both noted that the carved images of the Cherubim in the Holy of Holys, and the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses, were NOT against God’s law because they were NOT meant for idolatrous purposes.”

Incorrect, as already demonstrated in Tertullian’s quote about the bronze serpent that I quoted to you. That chapter specifically addressed that objection, and Tertullian was clear that only an express individual commandment from God himself was what allowed the prohibition against idolatry to be avoided in those cases. He advised us to follow the example of Moses, so if God told us to make an image, then we were free to do so, otherwise it is prohibited.

“And normal people understand this. Rare is the crank who would object to Christmas Nativity figurines, or carven angels found next to the “Praying Hands” on tombstones in Christian cemeteries.”

These kinds of arguments carry no weight for me. The kingdom of heaven isn’t a democracy, and God didn’t consult our sensibilities when He gave us the law. If God forbids us to make or use religious imagery, then that is the end of the matter. Saying “everybody else does it” is not going to sway me.

[boatbums]

Do you go to movies about Christ? If you do, then your posts discredit your notions.

I don't think it does at all. Watching an actor portray our Lord in film isn't much different that listening to a story about the Lord or reading the stories in the Bible. In these cases, we are not "venerating", worshipping or bowing down to a movie or book. Do these media draw us closer to the Lord by causing us to think on what He has done and learn from Him? Then, that is their purpose. They are also NOT something Almighty God forbid us to do. We are, however, admonished to read and study Scripture and to train up our children in the ways of the Lord.

So, sorry, Sal, Boogieman's "notion" is not discredited.

[grey_whiskers]

Romans 14:3-4

[ealgeone]

Not that that has stopped the Catholic from bashing the non-Catholic.

[Boogieman]

Romans 14:13-23

[Mrs. Don-o]

I’m sorry, for it seems I previously made an assumption about you that wasn’t accurate. I now conclude that you DO object to Christmas Nativity figurines, or carven angels found next to the “Praying Hands” on tombstones in Christian cemeteries? Is that accurate?

[rwa265]

Do these media draw us closer to the Lord by causing us to think on what He has done and learn from Him?

---

Several years ago, my wife and I were at a Lutheran Church for the baptism of a nephew. We were in the balcony, which gave us a good view of the images in the stained glass windows. One of the images was of the Good Shepherd. As I looked at the image, my heart was touched by the tenderness with which Jesus gazed upon His sheep, and it occurred to me that Jesus looks on us with the same tenderness. In this moment of grace, this medium truly drew me closer to the Lord.