You may be familiar with the pictures they have today in which you have to look very closely to see the hidden figure within it.  From my experience some of them are quite difficult. It has occurred to me that the more you fight it or try to take control, the harder it is to see the image. The more you step back and relax, the easier it is to see the image.

 
It is quite the same message coming through the scriptures today.

In the first reading, the people Zechariah is speaking to envision a powerful God coming, one who will be a warrior and will be seen by the people as a feared figure. They are missing the point and certainly the most important big picture. Zechariah tells them that this God arrives with the power of meekness, riding in not on a powerful horse, but on the back of a donkey. Those who are able to step back and see this, see God in places where they really need to see Him.

St Paul reminds us in a similar way that we are not to live by the flesh but by the spirit of God. The God came not to cut a path of destruction, but a path of love and compassion. In order to see this, we must step back from our flesh of existence and dwell in the peace of God.

Jesus, as He always, does puts the exclamation point on the how to see the God we need to see. The proud and powerful will remain hidden from the beauty of God. The little ones who are meek and accept His yoke will see the figure of God in all things.

So many examples pervade our lives every day.

If you see only the tragedy of the World Trade Center , the floods in the Midwest , you are hidden from God. If instead, you see the ability and opportunity for God’s people to come together in love, the figure of God becomes clear and powerful.

If you see only the flesh of beauty in each person, you are hidden from the awesome gift of God’s presence. If you see the inner beauty of each person, all created in God’s image, all with the ability to permeate His love to the world, you see the big picture of God in every creature.

If you see the use of all creation without respect, you truly miss God’s presence all throughout the world. If you can see what a young, physically challenged young boy saw, it can be quite different. This young man, who will never see or hear like a normal person just wanted to pet a racehorse named Smarty Jones. He got that opportunity and when he did, he became just as happy, if not more, as someone receiving a large sum of money. This opportunity awaits each of us every day.

Finally, if all you saw was a tragedy that took place 2000 years ago at a place called Golgatha, everything beautiful and God-filled will always remain hidden. When you see how that event, and all that proceeded and followed it, is the center of everything nothing will ever be hidden again.