"Come, See the Face of God"
Jane Leyden-Cavanaugh
Sunday, March 12th 2006

Chicago… is my kind a town. I lived there in the early 90’s for 4 years as a struggling actress. The first year I was there, to make ends meet, I often donned a tuxedo and was assigned to VIP parties for Chicago’s Rich and Famous. I made my money as a caterer, carrying Chardonnays and canapés to the “beautiful people” at the Field Museum or Navy Pier or at penthouse apartments on Lake Shore Drive. Every time I passed downtown on the El train going to these parties, I passed this sculpture which stood proudly on Daily Plaza.

A sculpture of a gorilla, I thought. I knew it was a Picasso. Why would Picasso sculpt a gorilla? Daily Plaza was “kind of” near Lincoln Park Zoo. Maybe that’s the reason. Or did Picasso just like gorillas? This was kind of a weird one. I didn’t really like it. To me, it looked like a Gorilla with porcupine needles and giant butterfly wings. But then again, that’s Picasso.

One day, I was riding the “el” with a fellow caterer and I pointed the sculpture out to her. (point straight, look right) Gorilla. She looked at me. (look left)That’s not a gorilla. The sculpture is called, “Woman.” It’s a woman.

(look right) What? I looked again. Woman? That’s no woman. That’s a gorilla. Try as I might, I could not see “Woman” in the sculpture. I looked at it from this angle. I’d look at it from a different angle. Later on, I actually got up close a few times. For months after that, I tried to see “Woman” and couldn’t. I just saw Gorilla. It was driving me crazy.

My fourth year in Chicago, I was riding the “el” and looked out the window at the sculpture again. And I saw her. Woman. I see it! The face of the woman was bigger than the gorilla face. Her lips were what I thought was the gorilla’s stubby arms! The porcupine needles were her cheeks and face – the butterfly wings – were her shoulder length hair. Yes!

The sculpture’s true identity – Woman – I saw it –The vision Picasso had, when he created her. Took me four years to see it. I was elated.

Transfiguration- Face of God

This may have been the same feeling that Peter, James and John have in the gospel today. The gospel of Mark tells a story of how one day these disciples were on a high mountain with Jesus and for a fleeting moment, they saw Jesus in a radically different way.

The story of the Transfiguration: One moment they were looking at this friend and teacher of theirs: probably plain looking, possibly messed up hair, crumpled, maybe dirty tunic and then:

WOW his face was glowing, his tunic “dazzling white.” For a moment, they saw Jesus’ true identity: they saw the face of God in Jesus’ face. And for real dramatic effect, God’s voice is heard in the scene:

“This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him.”

“This is not some normal guy, this is the Messiah.”

Seeing people’s true identity. This is the thought that came to me when they asked me to speak on: “Come, See the Face of God.” See the face of God, see the transfiguration in people, the divine in people.

It’s easy to see the face of God in those you love. In the musical Les Miz Jean Valjean, Fantine and Eponine sing in the final song:

When I hold my 8 month old daughter, Sweet Tess, Little 2%, I see the face of God. When I look at my husband, Joe, the love of my life, I see the face of God. And sometimes — being that he is Irish-Italian — I see the wrath of God….

I see the face of God in the faces of people here at church that I like so much:

How can you look at the face of Anna Vagle and not see the face of God? and the face of Echo, Dick Voss, Julie Madden, Fr. Jim. Even Dan Chounard….

But what about seeing the face of God in people you don’t like so much?

Birth mark woman

When I was younger there was this woman I knew who had a big purple birth mark across her entire face.

I was uncomfortable looking at her. So I rarely exchanged words with her. In fact, I avoided eye contact with her and steered clear of her, so she couldn’t engage me. This was 20 years ago. She came to mind when I was writing this talk. I missed the boat with her. I was seeing “Gorilla” and missed her true identity “Woman” or better yet “This is my beloved daughter.” Didn’t she have the face of God too?

On ne voit bienqu’avec le coeur, l’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux

It makes me think of the line from the Little Prince: where the fox tells the Prince: “On ne voit bienqu’avec le coeur, l’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Story of a co-worker

I didn’t see “what is essential” about another colleague of mine in a later job.

We were an exuberant group of people, full of laughter and fun. We found it hard to focus sometimes because we liked to chat.

But not this particular co-worker. When she came in the office at 8 on Mondays, I’d say: “Hi, good morning. How was your weekend?” “Fine.” And she’d make a bee line for her desk and put on her head phones and work.

I quickly grew tired of that response and decided to write her off as rude and unfriendly. If she wasn’t going to talk to me, I wasn’t going to talk to her and I soon formed the opinion that I didn’t like her and I wasn’t going to waste any more energy on her.

I didn’t see her “with my heart.” If I had, perhaps I would have seen she was hurting.

I didn’t know that she moved here from another state for a boyfriend and she didn’t know anyone else. I didn’t know that she and her boyfriend were struggling. I didn’t know that she was homesick and wanted to go back home.

I found this out later.

Once again, I saw her as a “Gorilla” and not as “Woman” or in this case “Hurting Woman.”

Jesus

Jesus challenges us to stretch our capacity to love and to see the true identity of others.

Many people in his day saw others as “gorilla:” — Leper! Adulteress! Tax collector!

Jesus saw each of them as Beloved Child of God.

You part

And you? Who in your life do you see as “Gorilla”? Missing their true identity? Missing what is “essential” about them?

Maybe it’s a coworker? Maybe, like me, you’ve written someone off too quickly– before you have all the information?

Maybe it’s a family member? They don’t do things like you do, so you punish them by keeping them at arms length. Is it your wife or your husband or your partner? Is it your mom or dad? Is it your 15-year old son?

Maybe it’s a neighbor? Maybe you’ve had an argument with someone a while ago? Could you give them a second chance? Or maybe you’ve never talked to somebody who lives very near you, but they look like they’d be weird. Would you be open to seeing the face of God in them?

How about that grumpy person behind the counter at Starbucks?

Maybe it’s someone in this church? They’re odd and you have no interest in getting to know them. Could you, one day, come up and introduce yourself?

Maybe it is someone who you disagree with philosophically or politically. If you’re a republican, can you see the face of God in the democrat? If you’re a democrat, can you see the face of God in the republican? Do our adamant beliefs prevent us from seeing the face of God in another?

Kids in room

Raise your hand if you are a student in high school? junior high? elementary school? Think of a person in your school who is alone a lot. (pause) Have one? What about smiling at them one day? Saying hi one day? Or inviting them to sit with you and your friends in the lunchroom one day?

This Lent…

This Lent, I challenge everyone in this room to see one person in your life differently.

Take a moment and choose someone. Do you have one?

Try and see the face of God in them.

You may want to ask for God’s help in this — especially if you’ve been at odds with this person for a long time.

Ask God not to change the person that you picked.

But ask God to change you, to help you see that person as God sees that person. A Beloved child of God.

My hope, this Lent, is that God opens our eyes, so that we can “come, and see the face of God” in those around us.