Seeing Jesus in the Person Across the Table

In today’s Gospel, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because the people were missing so much. (Luke 19:41-42). He, their greatest gift, was in their midst. He was with them every day, talking with them, feeding them, teaching them, loving them. And they missed Him.

Many people of Jesus’ time missed Him because He didn’t seem like anything special. He looked and talked like them. They didn’t fully understand (or agree with) what He said. Many knew Him from childhood—they knew who His parents were, where He grew up, and what He did for a living. Nothing special, nothing impressive.

Jesus’ tears in today’s Gospel wash the dust from the eyes of my heart.

Because every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, Our Lord visits us in every human person we encounter. Every. Single. Person.

Are we missing Him? Is He weeping over us because we missed His visitation to us in others?

Yes, in strangers, of course, but also in those closest to us. Our closest friends and family often don’t seem like anything special. Nothing impressive. They sometimes annoy us. We see their faults like no one else. We might not relate to them, we might disagree with their religion or politics, we might think they’re ignorant. We “know everything about them.” We know who their parents are, where they grew up, and what they do for a living. Sometimes, we lose the ability to be in awe of them. Sometimes, we miss the Jesus in them.

Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (like we see in the First Reading) should lead us to a greater recognition of Him in both strangers and those who share our table. Jesus’ Eucharistic presence in us actually makes us more aware of His presence in other people. Further, the word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” Receiving Jesus in Holy Communion shifts our perspective to one of gratitude. If we allow Him, He will help us see Him in others and respond to their existence with profound thankfulness (even those who are hardest to love).

Jesus’ Eucharistic presence in us actually makes us more aware of His presence in other people.Click to tweet

Let’s receive Jesus in the Eucharist, the Lamb who was slain, as an act of love, adoration, and thanksgiving. Let’s allow Him to open our eyes to behold His visitation in others.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to our sisters in the United States!

Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky where the sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She is the Blog Manager for Blessed is She and works from home as an editor and social media manager. She likes to binge novels and Netflix while raising her children and laughing with her husband. You can find out more about her here.