The Face of Christ

 

 

For years, a song called The Face of Christ by Chris Rice has been particularly meaningful for both of us. The chorus of the song reads:

 

How did I find myself in a better place?

I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face.

When I stoop down low, look him square in the eye,
I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing with the face of Christ.

 

During our stay in Gaya, we experienced what the lyrics of this song are attempting to covey as we visited a home for mentally and physically disabled individuals. The Missionaries of Charity, a group associated with Mother Teresa’s order, run this project. The brothers that manage this particular establishment are very caring and sensitive to the needs of the people who are living in the home. To see the compassionate way they touched and responded to the 30 individuals living there was remarkable.

 

We took fruit and vegetables to give out to those living in the home. Each person received two bananas, one cucumber, and some watermelon. The response to our simple gesture of love was just amazing. All of people expressed gratitude as we handed out the cucumbers and bananas. However, one elderly, physical disabled man really captured our hearts. When we first approached him, he looked sad. As we gave him the food, he began kissing our hands. Then, we bent down to look at him in the eyes, Heather was overwhelmed as she noticed a smile had replaced his sad expression. There were even tears of joy in his eyes. She locked eyes with him as tears began to run down her face too. She had no doubt she was dealing with the face of Christ as she looked eye to eye with this sweet man. He mumbled a few words to her in Hindi and she said a prayer for him, kissed his forehead, and paused for a photo with him. Although this was a brief encounter, it was such a rich blessing to us! The gift of fruit and vegetables costs us so little, yet we experienced something so priceless: The face of Christ.

 

5  Watermelons                                  60 Rupees ($1.50)      

30 Cucumbers                                    40 Rupees ($1.00)

60 Bananas                                         150 Rupees ($3.75)

Dealing with the Face of Christ            Priceless

 

 

Note: The photo directly above is of us with Brother Lewis who is in charge of the project we visited. Using funds given by our FBC partners, we were able to provide lunch for those living in the home the following day!