hidden in plain sight

by Rebecca Vitz Cherico, Ph. D

I am often shocked by my children's inability to find things that are in plain view. They tell me they have "looked everywhere" for something it takes me ten seconds to locate. I am also sometimes surprised at my husband's difficulty finding things in our refrigerator. His eyesight is much better than mine, but I see things that are invisible to him. Because I know they are there.

There is a story about children who are playing hide and seek. One boy hides and waits for the others. He waits and waits. But the others do not come. The story's author says God has done the same thing, challenging us to come and find him: our problem is that we don't look. Though God has revealed himself in a clear and striking way in his incarnation, we nevertheless may find him elusive in our everyday lives. We wonder where he has gone. But when a child we know disappears in hide and seek, we don't wonder about his existence - we simply start looking.

Likewise, Christ challenges us to come and find him. He invites us to trust in his continued presence, rather than being distracted by an unfounded fear that - simply because he is hidden - he has left us.

He will never leave us. We must look for him in confidence, because he is there.

source: Magnifcat Lenten Companion 2010