Second Wednesday in Great Lent
Kathisma 5 (Psalms 32-36)
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my tribulations. Come unto Him and be enlightened, and your face shall not be ashamed… For in Thee is the fountain of Life, in Thy light shall we see light. O continue Thy mercy unto them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart.” (Psalms 32 and 35)
A lot of people are talking about ‘enlightenment.’ The Psalter tells us how to be enlightened: seek the Lord and come to Him. St. John calls our Lord and God Jesus Christ, the Light of the World who comes into the world to enlighten every man. Come unto Him and be enlightened.
That is what our journey of Great Lent is all about: seeking the Lord. We are seeking His face, we are chasing after Him like a lover, we are crying out to Him with our whole heart. The Psalmist promises that we will not be ashamed. Our ascetic discipline – the fasting, the prayer, the almsgiving, the devotion – we won’t come away from it empty-handed.
Christians sing this verse every single day all around the world in the Lesser Doxology, but most of us know it best from the Great Doxology we sing in Orthros on Sunday: ‘Glory to Thee Who hast shown us the light… For with Thee is the fountain of Life and in Thy Light shall we see Light.’
Two things always draw my attention in the hymn’s ‘light’ theme. First, what does it mean that we see light in His light? Second, how does He show us the light?
To the first I suppose we can say that outside of God’s mercy and grace and Presence among His People, the Church, we are really wandering around aimlessly. I mean, we might know we want to be enlightened, but we don’t even know what the light is until we stand in His light and He shows us.
To the second, the hymn itself gives the answer: Enlighten me by Thy statutes! Jesus is Himself the Light of the World, and He comes to us and gives Himself to and for us, but He also teaches us. He enlightens us when He teaches us. When you read the Sermon on the Mount, the Light of Christ is shining on you! When the Church preaches the Word of Christ, the Light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome Him.
This is what Lent is all about. It isn’t about suffering. No! It is about laying hands on the Light of the World and refusing to let go until He gives us a blessing, teaches us His precepts, enlightens us and gives us His very Self. Don’t let go until He does!