On The Divine Narcissus

I recently had the experience of looking at someone, and feeling as though I was looking into a mirror.  It was amazingly cool and really, really scary.

It was wonderful to finally meet someone who so reminds me of myself.  I finally knew with absolute proof that someone out there shares my strange quirky nature.  Someone who gets my jokes.  Someone whose jokes I get, most of the time.  Someone who doesn't seem to find me odd, or strange, or a little too ....   Someone who shares a fairly specific language.  Someone who can keep up with me intellectually and is willing to push a conversation to the next level.  Someone who's not afraid to back down from a challenge.  Brilliant, clever, a sharp, quick wit. 

I was in heaven.

And then, I got scared.  Because what if the experience wasn't the same for the other person?

So, I prayed.  Because sometimes, "Jesus" is the answer.  This is what he said to me:

"I know exactly how you feel.  When I look at humanity, created in the divine image, I see myself.  And I fall in love with the image of God every single time.  And every single time, I know that I face rejection.  And that's scary.  Most of the time, I am rejected.  And it hurts.  But you know what?  I keep loving them anyway."

I first heard the premise of The Divine Narcissus, by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz when I was in my first year of seminary.  I thought, "This might be the loveliest thing I've ever heard."

Now, I get it.