Opening Prayer
Just as a man must wipe his eyes to see the light of the sun, I acknowledge that I must wash my soul through a virtuous life to comprehend the mind of the sacred writers. Without an intention to live as the saints lived, I cannot understand what they taught.
Grant me the strength to approach the saints by imitating their deeds, that I may see the “Sun of Justice” and share in the understanding revealed to those who love you. May my soul be cleansed to see Thy pure light.
Amen.
Matthew 12:1-8
1At that time Jesus went through the corn on the sabbath: and his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears, and to eat. 2And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days. 3But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him: 4How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only? 5Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame? 6But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple. 7And if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.
St. Athanasius
St. Athanasius posits that to search the Scriptures and understand them rightly, a good life and a pure soul are necessary. He compares this to wiping one’s eyes to see the sun. In the Gospel, the Pharisees see the “details” but miss the “Lord of the Sabbath” because their souls are not “guided by Christ-like virtue”. Athanasius evaluates the “clinical necessity” of washing the soul to “comprehend the mind of the sacred writers”. We cannot understand the saints’ teaching without “approaching the saints themselves by imitating their deeds”.
St. Athanasius argues that just as one must clear their eyes to see the sun, one must possess a “virtuous mind” to comprehend the mind of the sacred writers. Understanding the teaching of the saints requires an active intention to “imitate their deeds” and live a common life of holiness with them. Without this internal cleansing, the soul lacks the necessary correspondence to the pure light of the truth revealed in the sacred text.
“Purify your soul’s vision through a virtuous life, as only a pure mind can comprehend the light of the saints’ teachings.”
— St. Athanasius
Mary and the Magisterium
“Without a pure mind”, St. Athanasius asserts, “we cannot possibly comprehend the teaching of the saints”. Mary possessed the “purest vision” of any creature, allowing her to truly comprehend the mind of the Word. Just as one must wipe their eyes to see the sun, Mary’s sinless life allowed her to see the light of Truth without distortion. She stands as the proof that a virtuous life is the necessary prerequisite for profound theological understanding.
- Is my "way of life" preventing me from understanding what God is trying to tell me in Scripture?
- Am I "washing and cleansing my soul" through daily examination of conscience?
Closing Prayer
Holy Spirit, purify my vision to correspond to the pure light of Your truth.
Amen.
