the face of Jesus in the poor, the helpless, and the suffering. Charity can literally see his face in them; in serving the needy, the Christian loves him, is close to him, beholds and touches him (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Yet we can recognize Jesus himself in the poor only if we have already become well acquainted with his face, and this face is very close to us especially in the mystery of the Eucharist, in which the struggle of Moses upon the mountain is continually made present among us: the Lord stands on the mountain and allows himself to be made sin for us.
