With Fresh Eyes

We get so comfortable with routine in life that it becomes easy to take things for granted. Andrea Bear shares how she approaches her faith with a fresh look at the Mass.  

When I was a student, I would often re-read a chapter book twice until I could fully grasp the story. It was important for me to completely understand because my brain needed more time to really grasp the words and the details to the story. As I grew into adulthood and had to teach reading to my students, I would read a book with them only to discover the next year that the same book would have new details I hadn’t previously noticed. It was a surprise to find a special little gem I hadn’t seen before. And this gave me a deep love for reading and a love for the story.

Now in my 23rd year of teaching, I often teach the same content and it’s easy for me to get comfortable with what I already know, so I have to mix up my teaching style from time to time. I have to remind myself that while the content is not new to me, the content is new for my students. And I have to make sure I explain in a way that they understand for the first time with fresh eyes.

As we grow in relationship with people, do we treat them the same way? Do we know someone so well that we get comfortable and take them for granted? Or do we nurture the relationship? Do we say “I love you” only one time to our spouse, because if we say it too often it loses meaning? That’s hardly the case, as we know that relationships take work and continuous effort and attention to the details. I make it a goal to tell my family I love them every day. They already know I love them, but saying so each time deepens our love and our intimacy with each other.

Do We Need to Look at Jesus with Fresh Eyes?

Since we know it’s important to pay attention to the details of stories, and we know this about relationships, why often do we treat Jesus as an over-read story? The way we learn and we act is similar to the way we treat God. As children, we see Jesus with fresh eyes and newness. We revisit him often to get to know Him. We have more wonder and more amazement. But as we grow and get used to Him, we can often treat Him as an idea rather than as a person. If we do this, we can be guilty of simply going through the motions, because we’ve been through it so many times that we have to be careful not to treat Jesus like a stagnant story.

He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-3)

This can be how we approach Jesus in the Mass, and I’m no exception. I hear the words recited over and over, and it seems very repetitive, that if I don’t revisit them with fresh eyes, I can lose my understanding or wonder. There have been times when I’ve shown up to Mass and simply gone through the motions. Just like a book I’ve re-read too many times, at Mass I can forget to pay attention to the details. I can say “I love you” to Jesus, but do I say it out of habit, or do I do so to deepen my relationship?

Make the Effort, Find the Meaning

As I’ve come to learn, when we put the time and effort into our work, we find more value and more meaning because it matters to us. For the past two years I have been frequenting daily Mass. And this new perspective of seeing Him with fresh eyes, and daily “I love yous” has deepened my intimacy with Him.

This has given Mass more meaning. Rather than simply going through the motions, God is calling me to know Him, I have started to see Him in a way that I have never seen Him before. By visiting Him more than just on Sunday, I hear the Scriptures as a continual story of the bigger picture. My daily offering at His mass becomes my daily “I love you” from Him. I see the Consecration as a wedding ceremony rather than a simple, ritualistic routine.

Sometimes, God will put fresh eyes on us through our crosses, not because He wants to make our eyes burdened, but because He wants us to see Him just like we did the first time.

The next time you go to Mass, say I love you to your spouse or relative, or open a book you’ve read before, will you go through the motions? Or will you take time to see the intimate details with fresh eyes?

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Copyright 2026 Andrea Bear
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