Something Bazaar at the Bazaar

THE READING IS FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW:
“...For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.”

While in Afghanistan, I shopped at a bazaar.  My friend picked up  a piece of gaudy jewelry for a buck.  He was going to  throw it out when he got back,  but decided to  see  if it had any worth.  Much to his amazement,  the appraiser said  he found a steal. Underneath  the fake  rhinestones and rest was genuine solid gold. We can do the same ever day to people we meet. Accidentally,  because we fail to see that everyone bears the image of God, we neglect those who  have accumulated tarnish  on their soul and so don’t reflect God’s grace.  The valuable  silver is still there- just hidden. 

St Basil  puts it this way,

Just as he who in a polished mirror beholds the reflection of the form as plain knowledge of the represented face, so he, who has knowledge of the Son, through his knowledge of the Son receives in his heart the express image of the Father's Person. For all things that are the Father's are beheld in the Son, and all things that are the Son's are the Father's; because the whole Son is in the Father and has all the Father in Himself. [2047]Thus the hypostasis of the Son becomes as it were form and face of the knowledge of the Father, and the hypostasis of the Father is known in the form of the Son, while the proper quality which is contemplated therein remains for the plain distinction of the hypostases. (St Basil  37th letter)

The reflective capacity of every person is tarnished by sin.  When  God makes a clean heart-  polished mirror surface-  clean through the tears of repentance- then we can reflect His true Beauty.

Let’s do a spot check, cleansing our mirror,  so we can reflect the Lord. After all,  underneath  our fake bling bling and appearances is a gold mine.