“I am going to take the patch off while you keep your eye closed” the doctor said to me “and I want you then to open your eye and tell me what you see”. A simple request you might think but from my experience it was a wee bit more complicated. I had the day before had a tricky second operation on my eye. Many questions were in my mind in response to the doctor’s simple request. What would I see if I opened my eye? Would I see anything at all? Would my sight be distorted? Would it be clear? Did I want to open my eye and find out? Would I need to remain in perpetual shadow peering out from dark sunglasses for months on end? Would it not be easier to remain with my eye closed so I did not have to face what might be endless dark or what might be more scary brilliant light?

An eye operation concentrates the mind upon the great gift of being able to see and the reality of physical sight but it can also teach some lessons about interior sight. How do we perceive things in truth? Do we rest with the superficial or do we have a more profound knowledge? In our dealings with one another do we look at our friends and acquaintances just in terms of the appearances they present, or do we see the goodness and the limitations of the unique persons they are, made in the image of God.

In John’s gospel there is a dominant theme of light and darkness, seeing and not seeing. Indeed we hear that with the birth of Christ the light of God was manifest in the world in a new way, a way that darkness could not overpower. Yet many human beings preferred darkness because their deeds were evil.

And is it not true that for most of us when we are in the wrong we avoid the light for fear our words and our actions will be exposed, for fear others will see what we do not want seen and our limitations, weaknesses and sins may be perceived. But those who live by the truth come out into the light and it can be plainly seen that their actions are good.

Lent is a time for us to come into the light. To let that gentle light of Christ play across our lives so that what we are may be truly seen. Jesus comes as the Light of our lives and gives freely and lovingly the light of life, true sight so that we might perceive the merciful nature of God and the healing offered to us.

Perhaps we might pray today not to hide from God but rather let us ask the Lord to lead us out into the light of God’s love that we might truly see and know ourselves as beloved children of God ever in need of freely offered divine forgiveness. It is this way of seeing and perceiving that lie at the heart of the sacrament of reconciliation.