# Seeing God and being seen Day 7 > Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God. ### Opening Prayer: *Then run, faithful souls, happy and tireless, keep up with your Beloved who marches with giant strides from one end of heaven to the other. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. He walks alike over the smallest blade of grass, the tallest cedars, grains of sand or rocky mountains. Wherever you go He has gone before. Only follow Him and you will find Him everywhere. (The Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre De Caussade)* #### Psalm for the Week: Psalm 11 #### The Lord Is in His Holy Temple #### To the choirmaster. Of David. *11 In the Lord I take refuge;how can you say to my soul,“Flee like a bird to your mountain,* *2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 3 if the foundations are destroyed,what can the righteous do?”[a]* *4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.7 For the Lord is righteous;he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.* #### Scripture for the Day: Mark 8:1-26 #### Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand *8 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.[a]* *The Pharisees Demand a Sign* *11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.* *The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod* *14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”[b] 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”* *Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida* *22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus[c] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”* #### Reading for Reflection: *It was only a small wind Rather gentle, like a breeze.* *It blew a strand of hair across my forehead* *And I knew it was God.* *I was awakened by a tiny gleam of light* *It slipped through my curtain, onto my face.* *It drew me to my feet and on to the window* *Drawing back the curtains* *Dawn stepped softly into my room.* *I knew that it was God.* *In the middle of my loneliness* *The phone rang.* *A voice I knew so well, said* *"Hello, I love you."* *Love stirred in my soul* *I knew that it was God.* *Rain fell gently on thirsty ground.* *Slowly, carefully, steadily it came* *To an earth parched with waiting.* *Through those raindrops* *I walked, unafraid—without an umbrella.* *I knew that it was God.* *It was only a little bitterness I thought* *But it wouldn't leave my heart.* *It hung around my soul for ages* *Until a storm came, violent and terrifying.* *It shook me to the depths of my being* *And blew all the bitterness away.* *I knew that it was God* *It was only a Silver Maple* *But in the morning's sunlight* *It was filled with heaven.* *I stood in a trance* *As one touched by angel wings.* *I knew that it was God.* *O God, I cried,* *Endearing One, I love you!* *You cannot hide from me.* *Between the cracks of daily life* *I find you waiting* *To be adored.* *You slip into my life* *Like night and day* *Like stars and sunshine.* *I know that you are God.* *(Harvest of God by Macrina Wiederkehr)* #### Reflection and Listening: silent and written #### Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself #### Song for the Week: Jesus Cast a Look on Me *Jesus cast a look on me, give me sweet simplicity. Make me poor and keep me low, seeking only Thee to know* *All that feeds my busy pride, Cast it evermore aside. Bid my will to Thine submit, lay me humbly at Thy feet* *Make me like a little child, of my strength and wisdom spoiled. Seeing only in Thy light, Walking only in Thy might* *Leaning on Thy loving breast, where a weary soul can rest. Feeling well the peace of God, flowing from His precious blood.* ### Closing Prayer: *O Lord Jesus, I look at you, and my eyes are fixed on your eyes. Your eyes penetrate the eternal mystery of the divine and see the glory of God. They are also the eyes that saw Simon, Andrew, Nathanael, and Levi, the eyes that saw the woman with the hemorrhage, the widow of Nain, the blind, the lame, the lepers, and the hungry crowd, the eyes that saw the sad, rich ruler, the fearful disciples on the lake, and the sorrowful women at the tomb. Your eyes, O Lord, see in one glance the inexhaustible love of God and the seemingly endless agony of all people who have lost faith in that love and are like sheep without a shepherd.* ​ *As I look into your eyes, they frighten me because they pierce like flames of fire my innermost being, but they console me as well, because these flames are purifying and healing. Your eyes are so severe yet so loving, so unmasking yet so protecting, so penetrating yet so caressing, so profound yet so intimate, so distant yet so inviting.* ​ *I gradually realize that I want to be seen by you, to dwell under your caring gaze, and to grow strong and gentle in your sight. Lord, let me see what you see—the love of God and the suffering of people—so that my eyes may become more and more like yours, eyes that can heal wounded hearts. (Intimate Moments with the Savior by Ken Gire)*