And if God had that face?

What follows is not only a story with a happy ending for the summer. In response to the war in the Middle East and many other conflicts in the world, the reflection of the Bishop of Gap (France) indicates the sure path that leads to peace and makes a further appeal to reconciliation between the men and women of the three great monotheist religions. A friend of mine, on a trekking holiday in the Hautes-Alpes, spent some days in a little mountain village. One day the wise old man with whom he was chatting pointed out to him two men and said: “Do you see those two, down there? They are real pals, but that’s wasn’t always the case. They are next-door neighbours. Once they dedicated the better part of their time to bickering. There was always some good reason for quarrelling. Life became impossible not only for them, but also for all of us, in our little community”. One day, some the village elders said to one of the men: “There is a possible solution. Now that we have tried everything in vain to get you to make peace, you must go in search of God”. “Gladly – said the other – but where?”. “All you need to do – they told him – is climb to the top of the mountain and there, close to the sky and the clouds, you’ll see him”.So the man left with some hesitation in the search for God. After several days’ climbing and exertion, he finally found himself in the presence of God, who was awaiting him. What a surprise! He could hardly stop rubbing his eyes, but there was no doubt: far from anything he could possibly have imagined, God, curiously enough, resembled his neighbour.What God said to him then, no one will ever know. In any case, the man returned to the village completely changed. Yet in spite of his kindness and his desire to make peace with his neighbour, everything always went awry, because the other man invented every possible pretext to create new sources of discord. Then the village elders said to each other: “He too must go in search of God”. The man, at first, was unwilling, but they finally succeeded in persuading him. The rest, you can imagine: in this case, too, God resembled his neighbour. From that moment, everything changed and the two are now the best friends in the world”. During these summer months, many of you will be travelling along the highways, routes and paths. Perhaps, during your rambles, you will think of your neighbours, of those men and women with whom you have dealings in the course of the year, whether with joy or with displeasure; if necessary, don’t hesitate, go in search of God on the mountain. I am reminded of a book by Samivel, Gaspard des montagnes , and, in particular, an illustration showing a man seen from behind, completely alone, seated on a mountain peak. The ascent had been arduous. He sits there, trying to get his breath back, contemplating the valley far below, his eyes turned to the horizon. And then he says: “It would be even finer if I could describe it to someone”. Yes, the face of God would be even finer if you could describe it to someone!