Originally published at The Catholic Thing
The original purpose of Lent was to provide proximate preparation of candidates for Holy Baptism. With the passage of time, its purpose expanded to provide all the members of the Church the opportunity to return to Baptismal innocence. So, the Sacred Liturgy begins a serious turn toward reflection on the meaning and effects of Baptism in the days ahead. Interestingly, in the early Church, the Sacrament of Baptism was often referred to as either “Illumination” or “Enlightenment.”
Which makes it worthwhile asking: “Have you ever lost your sight – even temporarily? Have you ever been plunged into darkness unexpectedly?” It’s a frightening, fearsome thing. Darkness/light, night/day, and blindness/sight are themes frequently repeated in John’s Gospel in order to teach some important truths about Jesus and the nature of Christianity. It’s no accident that we’ll shortly be hearing almost exclusively readings from John for the rest of this holy season.
Two passages are examples of what I mean. In John 3, we eavesdrop on the dialogue between Our Lord and Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee who – at the same time – is a disciple of Jesus, but one who approaches Him only under the cover of darkness. Christ reminds Nicodemus that
