Have you ever thought about how rushed you are through life? This rush can easily prevent us from realizing the wonders that exist in our day. Have you forgotten that you can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste? Have you stopped to give a hug, to look ahead for another person, to listen without rushing, or to pay attention to textures, flavors, and smells? If we took time to admire and marvel at the world we would live more in love with the God of Life, source of all that is good, beautiful, and loving.

Today I ask that you become aware of your gaze. How do you look around you? How do you use your eyes? At the beginning of your day, be grateful for the ability to see, that images enter through your eyes and that you can recognize them. Take some time to stop and ponder what is appearing before your eyes, those objects that usually do not attract your attention.

During the day, become aware of your way of seeing. In your relationship with the Lord and your neighbor, your way of seeing plays a fundamental role. If you pay attention, you will discover how you look at some people with respect, love and welcome. At the same time, you will notice looks of contempt or indifference with others. Perhaps you can calibrate your gaze with that of Jesus in the Gospel. How does he look at others? Do you remember the look at Zacchaeus? (Luke 19:1-10) Or how did he look at the rich young man? (Mark 10:17-30) How he looked at his disciples? (Luke 12:32)

At night, collect the way you have looked, and examine what has remained in your heart from the looks you have cast on the world and those you have received. Discover the feelings, the desires, and the gestures that caught your eyes. Become aware of how you have felt and how you have responded to the looks at you. Recognize if they have led you to collaborate with the mission of Christ or, on the contrary, if they have been an obstacle. Remember, your availability to the mission of the Lord involves your whole being. At the end of the day, ask the Lord to give you his gaze so that you can take his way of looking wherever you go and be a sign of his Kingdom of love and compassion.

• María Bettina Raed
  Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Argentina – Uruguay)