There’s truth in the adage, “There is more to life than meets the eye.” A lot often lies beneath the surface that is not apparent at first observation. When I was young, I often wondered what God looked like. There were many depictions of Christ (God the Son) and of his Father—a paternal, bearded man—in art and on stained-glass windows. But the Holy Spirit? A hovering dove? A member of the Trinity who never spoke? An abstract figure?

The disciples had first-hand experience with Christ while he walked the earth, but his ministry then seemed limited to one locale and to one spokesperson. Understandably, his disciples were frightened by his impending departure. The Spirit was more challenging to envision—to them and to us—as “another Advocate,” one not previously seen, heard, or known.

Do present believers, who’ve never seen Jesus in bodily form on Earth, have a disadvantage over Christ’s contemporaries? Everything they were taught is equally available to us if we accept Christ’s promise that he “will not leave [us] orphans.” His words and actions are relayed to us through Church tradition and his assurance, “Behold, I am with you always.”

Few would likely believe that true life comes from a man crucified as a criminal, one no longer seen, were it not for his (albeit less visible) Spirit. Many of us received baptism as infants, when our eyesight and mental development were quite limited. Fittingly, the sacrament of confirmation is not conferred until our physical and spiritual clarity of vision is more refined. Then our faith calls upon the Holy Spirit to put Christ’s words to us into a mature perspective and thoughtful action.

So what does God look like? May we never tire of refocusing and refining our vision of God—or of invoking Father Hesburgh’s oft-referenced prayer, “Come, Holy Spirit.”