Lumen Fidei - 1

Lumen Fidei - 1

Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ

Enlightenment seems like an abstract word.  It seems like otherworldy spirituality.   But we are reminded here that that enlightenment doesn't just shine in some inward spiritual landscape.  It does illuminate us within.  But it also "illumines [our] entire journey".  We can navigate our lives better because we have faith.  Without faith we are in the dark to one degree or another.  And when we are in the dark we stumble and fall.  When we are in the dark we don't have the frame of reference to get to our destination.  Faith makes a concrete difference in our lives.

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Martha does believe.  She believes in spite of her brothers death which she confronts.  Faith isn't an absence of "realism."  It is the acknowledgement of a higher reality over the sensory world.   It is because she has this light that she sees God reveal his glory by raising Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus himself reveals this higher reality.  As he begins his prayer to raise Lazarus he lifts his eyes to the Father.  He looks past death to the eternal love of the Father.

May we be filled with such faith and light.