During my third year of college seminary, I have a class called Philosophy of Person. In this class, we discuss questions regarding the soul, the relation of body and soul, and personhood. What has interested me the most was a class in which we discussed a person having a face. My professor, Dr. Fortin, asked the question: what does a face do? Everyone in the class said it shows who you are or, in other words, a face reveals who you are. Dr. Fortin said this is half right because the face reveals but also hides.
This could leave many puzzled, because what can a face hide? Well, you can think about it this way: would you act the same way in front of your mother as you would in front of your friends? No, you would act differently, yet you are still you. You still have the same face. Therefore, your face is revealing and hiding. You reveal that you are John, but you may hide the “goofball John” from your mother or hide the “loving John” from your friends.
I was so fascinated with this concept, that I brought it to prayer—specifically to adoration. During Adoration, I stared before our Eucharistic Lord, and it hit me! Under the appearance of bread, I am staring at the face of Jesus Christ. Yet, what does the Eucharist reveal, and what does it hide?
The Eucharist reveals the simplicity of Jesus Christ. Bread is one of the simplest foods we can find. The Eucharist hides, ironically, the divinity and majesty of Jesus. We cannot forget who Jesus truly is. We cannot forget what, or more properly speaking who, this sacrament is. Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity who suffered under Pontius Pilate and was crucified for our sake and rose from the dead so as to give us eternal life.
If you want to get to know Jesus Christ, I recommend you go to Eucharistic Adoration. It is in Adoration that Christ reveals himself to us. Each time we go to, we grow in virtue and grace. It is also in this time, when we see the revealed and seek the hidden, that Christ shows us what he wants from us. It is where we go to hear the voice of Christ Jesus speak into our hearts, and it is the first place where we decide if we want to respond to his voice.
Thomas Piro is a Third Year College Seminarian studying at Saint Andrew’s College Seminary at Seton Hall University. His home parish is Notre Dame de la Mer in Wildwood.
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