A Mirror of Christ
"Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." - attributed to St. Francis
My daily prayers cover many themes and topics: praise; forgiveness; thankfulness; petitions for my family and friends; and healing for my family, friends and myself. But part of my daily prayer is this simple request: "Let me be a mirror of you; a Carrier of Christ to others."
Today, as I prayed both my own prayers and the daily prayer written by John Bailee 100 or so years ago, and edited into modern vernacular by Susan Wright, the simple line that I started this post with stood out to me: we are channels of God's love to others. We are Carriers of Christ to others. In reading the Gospels as I have lately, and watching "The Chosen", I am struck by how effectively Jesus channeled God's love all around Him. In word, but mostly in deed. In "The Chosen" we see a Jesus who is gently affectionate with not only His close-knit friends and followers, but for those who He will only touch for a brief moment. Not only did He preach the Gospel, He WAS the Gospel.
I like to smile at people, just in passing. If someone and I see each other say at Ralph's or our favorite Chinese take-out place, if their eyes meet mine, I smile. Sometimes that smile is just in my eyes. Sometimes it's a warm smile accompanied by a simple "hello" or "good morning". We are to take every moment and every opportunity to be a Carrier of Christ. Perhaps someone has had a rough and lousy day. A simple smile, or letting them ahead of you in line, can turn that day around for them.
A mirror reflects that which is in front of it, be it you, or the room the mirror is in. To be a mirror of Christ means that if someone looks at us they see Christ: they see His love, His gentleness, His forgiveness. We are to take every opportunity to be that mirror of Jesus, to reflect His love on others. The effect on others can be simple, or profound. And the effect on us can be truly living a life where we preach the Gospel every day, without words.
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