“Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.” - Psalms 24
I once heard a story of a Christian missionary who went to China to minister in secret. Secrecy was necessary because the government persecuted and oppressed religious expression of any kind that did not put worship and honor of the government first. Christians obviously could not do that and were forced to worship underground.
This missionary was staying with a family, and one night they invited him to come with them to “the wall.” They were not near the Great Wall of China, so he was not sure what this invitation meant. There was a hushed sense of secrecy and danger, but also a hopeful anticipation among the family. They travelled through the forest in the middle of the night, hoping to remain protected from persecution or discovery by the cover of darkness. They travelled for several hours until they came upon a portion of a ruined brick wall, a remnant of an old structure that seemed untouched for ages. After some time remaining still and quiet to ensure they had not been followed, the father reached toward the wall and grabbed a loose brick. He removed it from the wall, exposing a hidden lunette containing the Blessed Sacrament. This family travelled all that way, risking danger and discovery, to simply gaze at Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist.
In our politically divided country and our fearful, isolated world, we too are traveling in the dark. When there is no destination, the journey can feel completely pointless and without hope. We can get wrapped up in the news cycles and media echo chambers that only lead to frustration, anger, fear, division, and despair. The potential dangers in the darkness capture our attention and imagination, causing us to wonder why we are on the journey at all. However, if our eyes can remain fixed on Jesus, we can have hope no matter how long or terrible the storm.
Are you spending time focusing your attention of that destination every day?
Where do you find it most difficult to have hope?
Are you recognizing the face of God in others?
Are you inviting Jesus into your hopelessness, despair, worry, anxiety, and isolation?
Even when it seems like the journey is for nothing, God can reveal Himself in previously hidden and new ways. We need to look no further than the examples of the Saints, who we honor and remember today for their heroic examples, and we ask for their intercession so that we can pursue the Lord wholeheartedly like they did. They were not mythic figures or legends. They were real people who sinned, who fell, and who repented and got back up to pursue a different path that led to hope. We can experience that hope too, if we can cultivate a longing to see God’s face like they did.
This week, find some way to gaze upon the Lord. Spend some time in a chapel, gaze at a cross or an icon of Jesus in your home, encounter the face of Christ on the pages of Sacred Scripture, or strive to see the face of God in those around you. No matter the darkness, the persecution, or the storm, Jesus is there waiting to encounter you and walk with you through it. Go find the wall, no matter how difficult the journey may be, and be with Him.
I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.
Matt
This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, November 1st, 2026, The Solemnity of All Saints: Psalms 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6.
