Don’t be afraid, it’s me!

on Monday, 30 June 2008. Posted in 2008 Eucharistic congress

Fr. Nicolas ButtetOn Tuesday, the testimony was provided by Father Nicolas Buttet, a Swiss priest and religious who left a life of practicing law and politics to pursue the life of a hermit and then to found the Eucharistein Fraternity. His community, inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, is devoted to simplicity and total reliance on God. He put a lot of humour in his talk, as this excerpt shows:

"Dear brothers and sisters, it is the moment for us to discover the face of Christ in each one of us. There is a story told that a painter came to Pope Leo XIII and said, ‘Holy Father, would you allow me to paint your portrait?’ And the Holy Father said: ‘Of course!’ So a little bit later, the painter came with the painting, and evidently, he did not have much talent. And the Holy Father, very charitable, seeing the result, said: ‘Thank you very much. Could you just add a little biblical quotation on the painting?’ And so the painter, very happy, said: ‘Of course, anything you want!’ ‘Just one little reference,’ the Pope said, ‘John 6:26’. So when you look at the verse, it is the moment when Jesus spoke to the Apostles, who were struck with terror, and He answered: ‘Don’t be afraid, it’s me!’ Sometimes, we don’t reflect the beautiful face of Jesus, and yet, this is where we need to discover Jesus.

Leave a comment

You are commenting as guest.