Sometimes in life one needs to see with the eyes of the heart to see rightly. Tonight I was at prison and the priest, a lovely fellow from Ireland, was engaging the prisoners in a way I had never seen a presider do before. He asked questions straight away and drew these men into a dialogue that was affirming and educational. I sat back and thought–I have never seen such a thing in a service except for in the Deaf Community. I was happy to witness it. These men must have felt great respect from this priest.

Afterwards during the coffee time, I was joined by a man who I have a hard time understanding and I often find my mind wandering, wishing I was speaking to someone else. Another volunteer sat down with us and quickly the conversation started to flow between them. I marveled at this too and wondered what my eyes had not seen.

Another inmate joined us and he and I began to speak. I struggle a wee bit with him because he is difficult to follow and I cannot always maintain the topic, try as I might. I suspect he is mentally ill but he is also quite intellectual about some things. He stopped talking at one point and looked at me. His shoulders fell forward and I could see from his face that he was disheartened. He confessed that he knew that people often lost him and that he was frequently met with silence. I wish that I might be able to see with Christ’s eyes what he had been trying to explain to me.

So much of what we see in front of us takes eyes that can feel in order to penetrate the sound and look for the blessing. That priest sure had this gift. The other volunteer did too. What a blessing and lesson tonight was.

When have you experienced a moment when you needed to see with your heart?

Peace,

Suzanne