O Rising Dawn, Radiance of the Light eternal and Sun of Justice: come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Faith is light. In John’s
Gospel, Christ says of himself: “I have come as a light into the world, that
whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 12:46
“We
therefore are not the origin of this light but it is the great gift of Jesus as
light of the world. As Jesus exclaims to Peter after his confession, ‘Blessed
are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my heavenly Father.’ ”
The consequence of this supernatural gift is that “Those who believe, see; they
see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes the risen
Christ, the morning star that never sets.” And with the light of faith we gain
fresh vision, new eyes to see. This vision is never simply the assimilation of
an idea, for faith “is born from an encounter with the living God.” And
the “living God calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and
upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives.”
This love calls us to go out of ourselves, it summons us to a new life. When we
respond, love transforms us. Through love “we gain fresh vision, new eyes to
see; we realize that it contains a great promise of fulfillment, and that a
vision of the future opens before us. Faith, received from God as a
supernatural gift, becomes a light for our way, guiding our journey through
time.” Faith “sees to the extent that it journeys, to the extent that it
chooses to enter in to the horizons opened up by God’s word.”
Reflections on Lumen
Fidei, the encyclical letter of Pope Francis, by Father Timothy.