A gaze, a touch, a smile can fill your soul and give you the strength to be faithful.
We humans get accustom to everything. We can fall into routine so easily… Well this is my fifth trip to Haiti and I have to tell you that by no means can I get accustomed to the reality of suffering.
In my past trips I have encounter a Suffering Christ, this trip was different, I encounter the human side of Christ. I encounter His gaze, His touch and His smile.
HIS GAZE
A gaze in those tiny little babies that are “screaming – calling” for love; a gaze that in the mist of suffering reflects acceptance; a gaze of young people (the missionaries) searching for happiness, for true love, for authenticity of life…
I was able to encounter Christ’s gaze through the suffering Haitians, through the missionaries, after their deep and profound experience of Christ love. A gaze that when met true love starts to shine. Seeing the babies after a few days with us, and the missionaries a few days with them…those “sad or empty” eyes where shining.
HIS TOUCH
You will carry a baby and feel his tiny hand “caressing you” ; or a missionary saying “Thank you” or seeing a beautiful sunset in the midst of a “city dumpster”…His print, His signature is everywhere.
HIS SMILE
Behind each smile you can find Christ. I had one little baby that was very sick with pneumonia, she didn’t smile at all, no matter what you do, nothing… but I didn’t give up. One day I was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, and I told Christ, “Please Lord make her smile at least once before we leave”… The last day I was feeding her outside and went to get her some water, when I was coming back she gave me the biggest SMILE, I ran to give her a hug and a big kiss (I think I even drop the cup of water). After a week of love and care she gave us the biggest gift: a smile. For me, that smile was Christ SMILING at me to say thank you.
I also encounter His smile in each one of the missionaries, 14 college students giving their winter break to serve others, after a week of work, waking up at 6:00 am, holding babies almost all day long (at times two or three), changing diapers, being peed on at least once a day, running around chasing toddlers…maybe their energy was gone, but their SMILE never left, the contrary, it grew.
On returning home a friend of mine ask me “does it get easier?” No it doesn’t, I don’t think we will ever get accustom to see suffering; I will even say it gets harder because we realize how small we are and how little we can do.
One thing that is constant in Haiti: the encounter with Christ; this year 2012 I started with His gaze, His touch and His smile… it is just the beginning.
I’m waiting to see what He has in store in my next trip this March. Can wait to find out.
