In the Gospel of the Mass, St. Luke tells us that Herod desired to meet Jesus: Et quaerebat videre eum, he was looking for a way to see him. News of the Master came to him frequently and he wanted to meet him.
Many of the people who appear throughout the Gospel show their interest in seeing Jesus. The Magi appear in Jerusalem asking: "Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? And they immediately declare their purpose: we saw his star in the East and have come to worship him: their purpose is quite different from that of Herod. They found him in Mary's lap. On another occasion, some Gentiles arrived in Jerusalem and approached Philip to tell him: We want to see Jesus. And in very different circumstances, the Virgin, accompanied by some relatives, went down from Nazareth to Capernaum because she wanted to see him. There were so many people in the house that they had to tell her: Your mother and your brothers are away and want to see you. Can we imagine the interest and love that moved Mary to meet her Son?
To contemplate Jesus, to know him, to treat him is also our greatest desire and our greatest hope. Nothing can compare to this gift. Herod, having him so close, did not know how to see the Lord; he even had the opportunity to be taught by the Baptist - the one who pointed the finger at the Messiah who had already come - and, instead of following his teachings, he had him killed. It happened with Herod as with those Pharisees to whom the Lord addresses the prophecy of Isaiah: With your hearing you will hear, but you will not understand; with your sight you will see, but you will not see. For the heart of this people is dull of heart, and they have made their ears dull of hearing and their eyes closed..... On the contrary, the Apostles had the immense good fortune of having the Messiah present to them, and with Him all that they could desire. Blessed, however, are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear6, says the Master to them. The great Patriarchs and the great Prophets of the Old Testament saw nothing in comparison to what their disciples can now contemplate. Moses beheld the burning bush as a symbol of the Living God.
Jacob, after his struggle with that mysterious personage, was able to say: I have seen God face to face; and likewise Gideon: I have seen Yahweh face to face..., but these visions were obscure and not very precise in comparison with the clarity of those who see Christ face to face. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you are seeing..... The glory of Stephen - the first who gave his life for the Master - will consist precisely in that: to see the Heavens opened and Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus lives and is very close to our normal chores. We must purify our gaze in order to contemplate him. His kind face will always be the main reason for us to be faithful in difficult moments and in our daily tasks. We will say to him many times, with words from the Psalms: Vultum tuum Domine requiram..., I will seek your face, O Lord... always and in all things.