i have always loved this quote from mother theresa:

“Seeking the face of God in everything, everyone, all the time, and his hand in every happening; This is what it means to be contemplative in the heart of the world. Seeing and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor.”

― Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers

what a lofty goal for anyone who dares call themselves a christian!

the vast majority of christians would not self identify as a “contemplative in the heart of the world.” this is probably why mother theresa is a saint and we are on the road towards this level of awareness.

how do we seek Christ in the world? to look for someone assumes that we know what the person looks like. but to seek God’s face in all circumstances, all the time, in all things? isn’t that just over the top? it’s quite the aspirational goal, no?

we had witnessed mother theresa’s actions on the streets of calcutta, “seeing and adoring of jesus” in the people who were thrown away and ignored by the world. mother theresa’s understanding of the eucharist opened her eyes to serve jesus in these forgotten men, women and children on the street.

the “distressing disguise of the poor” is where jesus lives today and mother theresa lived with this vision of the world.

this understanding of God present in, “the distressing disguise of the poor” can disturb our hearts. it ought to take us out of our comfort zones. but this is part of the nature of love. we love God THROUGH loving others. we love God IN THE MANNER that we love others. the great commandment of love has these two connected dimensions. our neighbors stand in front of us in distressing disguises at times.

jesus’ teaching in matthew 25: 31ff was ingrained deep in mother theresa’s soul and heart:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

if you go to or watch mass on the internet this sunday, this will be the gospel reading. we will celebrate the solemnity of “Christ the King”. today, the King lives on in distressing disguises.

how are we missing Christ’s very presence in the people who cross our paths? how can i better respond to the needs of my brothers and sisters and see Jesus in them? how can the “distressing disguise of Christ” in poor people disturb my heart into loving and righteous action?

the short answer: by the grace of God. the grace given by the Holy Spirit is the key for us to have our imaginations come alive with this christic vision of the world and others.

may the Lord, the giver of life, bless us with new eyes to see and a new heart to adore Christ in the “distressing disguise of Christ in the poor”. may this newness of life, spur us to serve Christ among us through humble actions.