“Not
as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but
the LORD
looks into the heart.”
This
inspiring verse from 1st Samuel contains comfort and a
challenge. First, society makes it
seem like we need to look, act and dress in a certain way to fit in. This is especially true for women which
are often objectified today. While
society sees the surface, God sees the heart, and we must always remember God
created us and loves us. We can
combat worldly expectations by always remembering we are beloved sons and
daughters of our Father and by living life for Him, not society.
The
challenge can be in perceiving the world as God does. Often enough we fall to judgments and gossip about others in
shallow ways. We must look beyond
appearances to see what the Lord does—the heart—and recognize God’s love for
the people that annoy or aggravate us.
We
have an exemplary model before us today—St. Agnes. Agnes was a young woman and physically beautiful. She saw reality like God. She didn’t see the axe which was to
behead her—she saw her faith and love of Jesus. While she was being humiliated (she was stripped naked for
all to gaze on her), she trusted completely in God for protection. As legend has it, the crowds turned
their back because her modesty and one man, who dared to lust after her, was
struck blind and left half dead.
He saw Agnes’ appearance like a man, not like God.
Through
St. Agnes’ intercession we pray for purity and chastity in our lives and
society. We ask for the grace to
see ourselves and others as God does and not as the world.
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