Fourth Sunday of Lent
“One man looks at a dying bird and thinks there’s nothing but unanswered pain. That death’s got the final word, it’s laughing at him. Another man sees that same bird, feels the glory, feels something smiling through it.” Pvt. Train, The Thin Red Line
The glory of God. Why do we not see it? Why do we remain blind to the gracious hand which made all things and continues to hold them in existence?
One person saw Jesus and his works, and gave glory to the Father. Another saw the same man and the same works and said they all came from evil. One had the faith giving him eyes to see. Another remained blinded. Such is the mystery of faith. We think that our sight is a neutral quality, an objective appraisal of the expanse of our world, uninhibited by our personal prejudices and loves, ordered or disordered. But can Jesus be seen and known independent of the state of our hearts?
For those preparing to be baptized, now is a time of purification. If the sacrament itself is a moment of enlightenment, of being initiated into God’s radiant light, then the heart must be prepared to receive it. But even we who have lived within the Faith for years, do we not also need purification to regain that clarity of vision which sees the Finger of God present in all things? Let us gives our hearts over to the purifying vision of Jesus.