Radiating Face
This is a true story about a modern prodigal son. A soul, once persistent in the House of God, drifted away, but the Lord — The Good Shepherd — gently reclaimed it again.
He was nurtured within the church, his heart burning with Christian zeal. Yet, upon reaching the age of 26, he turned to the pages of philosophy, seeking wisdom but found his unprepared mind spinning in confusion. Philosophy’s challenging questions led him to doubt his deep-rooted faith.
Tragedy then struck like a fierce storm: the sudden loss of his beloved mother. Learning of her death while he was abroad and unable to attend her funeral, his world crumbled. The grief was so heavy, it made him question God’s very existence.
Between faith and skepticism, he found himself stuck in the middle, not fully accepting Christianity nor entirely giving in to atheism. It was among this turmoil that he experienced a moment of profound reflection.
Several months after his mother’s death, he found himself in church, participating in Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist. Driving to work afterward, his peacefulness was interrupted by a series of aggravating news. Arriving at his workplace — where no colleague shared his faith — he encountered something weird. “Your face — it’s aglow!” a colleague exclaimed. Puzzled, he could only offer a shy, kind-hearted smile in return. Another friend, eyes alight with amazement, declared, “ There’s a light shining from your face that doesn’t change regardless of where you stand!”
He wrestled with the meaning of this. Until, like a flash of divine insight, he understood. He recalled the words of Jesus, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (John 6:56). It dawned on him that the radiance they noticed was not his own but the light of Christ shining through him — an act of divine love, a sign meant to scatter the clouds of his doubt.
This was not simply a glow; it was a message that even those without faith could see — a revelation pure and strong, assuring him of Jesus’ presence within. It revives the powerful impact of the Eucharist on believers. As noted by St. John Chrysostom, “It is not man that causes the elements to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but He who was crucified for us, Christ Himself.” The communion is not a symbol but a true encounter with Jesus.
He was like a citizen at risk of losing his home in the Lord’s kingdom, but by divine mercy, he found his way back to his Father, Jesus Christ.
