Seek His Face

In this portrait, Sr. Yen Van Nguyen captures Christ's countenance turned toward the viewer with a piercing and profound gaze. His eyes reveal a twofold interior emptiness: his self-emptying love and the emptiness he experiences by our absence.

The first emptiness portrayed in Jesus’ eyes depicts the mystery of kenosis – Christ's profound desire to empty himself out of love for us. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states, “though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” Rather than grasp, Jesus says, “Take and eat; this is my body.” His greatest desire is to empty himself by continuously giving us his body.

The second emptiness reflected is a piercing reality: our absence. Like Saint Peter, we can often deny Christ by our lack of love, leaving an emptiness in the heart of Christ where our love should be. The visceral brushwork in the background is a jarring depiction of the chaotic world we live in, preventing us from recognizing how Christ presents himself before us amidst it all. The chaos we experience due to our thoughts, experiences, and emotions is tragically depicted as Judas looks for an opportunity to hand Jesus over. Judas looks not at Jesus, but rather locks himself in the vortex of negativity.

The prophet Isaiah provides us with a concrete invitation amidst the chaos: “morning after morning, he opens my ear that I may hear.” Jesus' gaze becomes a “morning invitation” to place him first before entering into the chaos of the world. By allowing our ears to hear him speak before the chaos of the world, we encounter that twofold emptiness – His self-emptying love and our need for him. Rather than entering the vortex of chaos, we can stand with someone amidst their personal chaos and gently point to the face already looking at them.