To Truly be Seen - May 19, 2025
Today’s Readings - AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; Wisdom 9:1, 7-18; Col. (3:18-4:1)2-18; Luke 7:36-50
When I was in high school one of my teachers really saw me. She saw the tentative way I would glance around the room before volunteering, or how I would hesitate as people paired up for projects, never wanting to be rejected. She recognized things in me I was too immature to see but nonetheless was able to hear. I felt accepted for the awkward shy child I was, and those attributes that still lay hidden she encouraged and helped give me the confidence to embrace. The parts of my personality that I was criticized about, my shyness or reticence to speak up she saw as opportunities for growth and increased awareness of my strengths that were yet to see the light of day.
As I read today’s gospel reading from Luke, I was struck by how differently Simon saw the nameless woman in comparison to how Jesus saw her. Simon saw a woman of questionable merit, a sinner who any self-respecting Jew would not associate with, much less allow to touch him. When Jesus asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?” He’s not asking if he’s noticed her robes or the color of her hair. He’s asking, “Do you see her spirit; do you see her compassion and the love she’s offering?” Do you see her as a precious child of God?
I was once told by a homeless person, that the thing that is almost more hurtful than everything else that happens to him on a daily basis is the way people look straight through him as if he doesn’t exist. What he sees in passerby’s eyes is that he doesn’t matter, that his existence is nothing to them. The apathy, he said, is worse than being spit on or yelled at. I get irritated when I’m not acknowledged as I stand at a counter waiting for a store clerk to help me; what this man described is infinitely worse. Sadly, people in our culture who are chronically ignored grow accustomed to this treatment to the point that they expect it rather than expecting compassion or empathy.
What Jesus wants Peter to “see’ in this parable is that through the eyes of her faith she recognized Jesus as the Messiah, she saw the sacrifice and selfless way he would end his life. She saw an opportunity to give back, to care for someone who cared so deeply for others. Through Jesus’ eyes of love, he saw through her reputation, through her sins, to see a heart full of love, faith and remorse.
Something very powerful happens when we are truly seen for who we are. It doesn’t happen every day, nor does everyone acknowledge or even understand the nuanced difference between seeing someone in passing and truly seeing them through eyes that bear the filter given to us by God. But when it happens, and you know you’ve been seen it’s life-giving, it’s a transformative gift.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for reflection: When was the last time you felt as though someone really “got you?” Really saw who you are deep down? Do you remember how good it felt? What prevents us from seeing through characteristics we may not understand or like in others? How hard would it be to make an intentional effort to listen, to look at others so that we truly see them?