Morning Prayer: The Light in Scripture
From today's hymn: “For no one can persist in sin when light bears witness to our guilt.”
The hymn makes a bold claim: that light—once revealed—interrupts the momentum of sin. But the line is not naïve. We know perfectly well that sins occur at every hour of the day. Human beings are capable of doing harm in broad daylight, under fluorescent bulbs, in the full visibility of others, and even with a clear intellectual understanding of right and wrong. So what is this light that “bears witness” and refuses to let sin remain undisturbed?
The nature of the “light”
The Church has always understood “light” in Scripture and hymnody as more than physical illumination. It is the presence of truth—God’s truth—breaking into the interior world. It is the moment when the conscience stirs. It is the sudden clarity that exposes what we would prefer to keep hidden. It is the awareness that our actions have consequences, that they wound, that they distort us.
This light is not merely informational. It is relational. It is the gaze of God, the gaze that sees us truthfully and lovingly at the same time. Sin can survive ignorance; it cannot survive being seen.
But people do turn away
The hymn says no one can persist in sin when light bears witness. It does not say no one can choose to turn away from the light. And that distinction matters.
Some people see the truth and recoil. Some see suffering and decide it is “not their problem.” Some recognize injustice and quietly step back, not wanting to “get involved.” Some feel the prick of conscience and immediately begin the work of self-justification.
Turning away from the light is itself a form of sin—a refusal of relationship, a refusal of responsibility, a refusal of compassion. It is the ancient temptation to say, “I do not wish to know,” because knowing would require change.
Persisting in sin requires darkness
To persist in sin, we must create shadows:
by ignoring what we know
by numbing what we feel
by distracting ourselves from the truth
by surrounding ourselves with voices that reassure rather than challenge
by cultivating habits that keep us from noticing the damage we do
Sin thrives in the dimness of self-deception. The hymn’s claim is that once the light truly enters—once truth is acknowledged, once conscience is awakened—sin loses its stability. It becomes harder to maintain the illusion that “everything is fine.”
How this applies to us today
We live in a world saturated with information but starved for illumination. We see more than any generation before us, yet we often see without letting anything touch us. The danger is not ignorance; it is indifference.
The hymn invites us to ask: Where has God’s light already shown me something I would rather not see? Where am I tempted to step back, to avoid involvement, to protect my comfort? Where is the Spirit bearing witness to my guilt—not to shame me, but to free me?
Morning light is symbolic: it reveals what night concealed. Morning Prayer asks us to stand in that light honestly, without flinching, and to let it do its work. Not to crush us, but to convert us. Not to expose us for humiliation, but to expose us for healing.
The light of God is not a spotlight; it is a dawn. It grows. It warms. It reveals gently. And it calls us—again and again—out of the shadows we have learned to inhabit.
Read more Morning Prayer posts: MSI Press Blog
Note about Morning Prayer: Each morning prayer post reflects on one phrase from the Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. which can be found in the iBreviary (a downloadable app), Universalis (website) or Divine Office (publication and website).
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Read more Morning Prayer posts.
Morning Prayer posts inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)
Book Description:
These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.
This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.
Dr. Dennis Ortman, former priest and current psychologist, is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.
For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.
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