Canticle 236

“Lord, show us the Father.”
Said Philip, who wanted to believe
or perhaps simply to be dazzled
by this Father, Abba, the creative figure
of Christ
—and of all of us, for that matter.

Why demand this vision?
Why not simply follow the path?
To know what this Father looks like?
As if one could grasp such a thing…

Perhaps Philip had lost himself
in a human conception
—who would blame him?—
and wanted to know if he resembled this Father
If Jesus resembled Mary more or him
who knows?

Or perhaps he wanted to see
to feel capable of bearing witness
with greater accuracy?
Fear of being an imposter, then,
of not being at the highest level
of learning, of science…
How I would love, Philip, to ask you this question…

Perhaps you wanted a face
to remember
a face to love
or a face that would make impossible for you
the anger we sometimes feel against God
Levinas told us, the face
changes everything in humanity

That is precisely why Christ
was that face
Because it changes everything
in humanity

Christ showed you, Philip
he showed you what the Father is
when they put themselves at our level
So why do you demand more?
Tell me, do you want to justify yourself
or justify your faith?

Do you need a tutor watching you
to know if you are doing things correctly?
Do you need a gaze you’ve met
to allow yourself to transcendence?
Do you need a gaze onto which to
project concepts and reasoning that are
all too human…
Do you need to desacralize the Father a little
to allow yourself to pray to him?
Do you need to see the unfathomable so clearly it blinds you
to find him in all things and in community?