I often mention and think of Blessed Charles de Foucauld as someone who wanted to “see Jesus in all people”. This is the short version of his story! In reality, after his conversion or spiritual awakening, the life of Blessed Charles divides into two roughly equal halves:

• first he is seeking “the lowest place”, indeed getting away from people to get closer to God, to know who is this God who turns his world upside down and lived in Nazareth;
• then he ends up leaving solitude to go, go as far as is possible and useful for him, to live and be with others, finding Jesus in the presence of everyone he encounters and especially in the presence of those he lives with;

These are two distinct halves of his life. Of course, even when he was alone, he was thinking of neighbours. And when he was with neighbours, he found time to be alone with God. But, in broad strokes, Brother Charles discovered contemplation alone with God first and contemplation of Jesus in our neighbours second.

Is this a natural progression? Or is it more likely to be the other way around?

I think it’s pretty natural.

Although it is abundantly true that, if we do not love our neighbours, we do not love God, it’s also true that contemplation as a habit or ability is learned through silence. For most of us, silence in the world has to be learned first as silence in our room, with the door closed (Mt 6:6). In that case, it would be quite natural to discover contemplation of Jesus first in himself and with his Father and Spirit; and then, later, begin to see, in and behind these neighbours whom we serve, Jesus as truly present, seen with the eye of the heart, seen in a contemplative love in silence amid the world’s hustle and bustle.

I’m not saying it can’t go the other way. But for most of us, I think the situation is rather like Blessed Charles de Foucauld’s. (Two other saints whose stories come to mind are Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Clement Hofbauer.) It seems rather common. This means there is a very strong link between silence, contemplation alone with God, contemplation on the roads, and seeing Jesus in our neighbours.