Reflection in the Mirror

From the 1850s through the 1920s, “Orphan Trains” carried almost 400,000 children from New York City to adoptive families in the Midwest.  These children, often given up by newly arrived and desperate immigrant parents or found living on the streets, were resettled with families who could feed and clothe them and who welcomed their presence on the still under-populated frontier of a growing nation.  The pathos of the trains’ departures was repeated at stops along the way, when children would be taken off and displayed for prospective adoptive parents.  
 
        In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that he will not leave them orphans.  They have been chosen.  Like an older brother, Jesus is going ahead to prepare a home for them, and for all of us.  When you stop to think about it, an unbelievable gift is going to be given us!  What Christ has by nature, we are granted as a gift, a share in the divine identity!  When the Father sees us, when he hears our prayers, God sees and hears the divine Son.  We are God’s beloved children, and our train is bound for glory!  
 
        In other words, Jesus is asking us to recognize him in ourselves.  He says to us, “You are in me, and I am in you.”  How many of us look in the mirror and really see Jesus?  Why does it make us uncomfortable?  Is it easier to see Jesus in a homeless person on the street corner?  What are the consequences of seeing Jesus in us?    
 
        Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing the face of Jesus!  If you are a teenager, would that make you think twice about “borrowing” a few dollars from your Mom without her knowledge?  Could you lie to your boss if the face in the mirror was Jesus?  Would it be harder to enjoy some juicy gossip about an acquaintance if it was Jesus you saw every time you passed a mirror?  If you’ve been honest and answered “yes” to these questions, consider something else.  You should be seeing Jesus in the mirror every day, because he is in you!  It may be an image that is difficult to live up to, but it is one that is very real.  Take a day this week and remind yourself about the message of this weekend’s Gospel every time you glance in the mirror, from the time you brush your teeth in the morning until you brush your teeth at night.  When you glance in the car’s rearview mirror or the next time you pass a department store mirror, try to see Jesus looking back at you!  It just may change your life. Jesus has a way of doing that!  Think about it!