The Inner Light of Christians

The world and those stumbling within it are governed only by conjectures: in their actions, one person blindly follows another like a blind man, and at every step, they collide and jostle. Yet there are those who are illuminated by two kinds of light: the light of reason and the light of faith, both emanating from the Holy Spirit. Although they must relinquish their natural reason, the Holy Spirit restores it to them—purified and refined—so that it is as if they have a hundred eyes. Whatever they see or hear around them leads them to traces of God, and they can turn everything to serve Him. Thus, they are undoubtedly wiser than all the philosophers of the world, whom God, in His justice, condemns to blindness so that, while they think they know everything, they understand nothing. Their knowledge remains superficial, merely external observation, unable to penetrate the essence, which is the glory of God shining through everything.

Moreover, the light of faith brightly illuminates their path, enabling them to see and comprehend not only what is visible and present but also what is invisible and yet to come. The world desires a tangible hand to believe in what it holds, while the Christian boldly trusts in the unseen, the absent, and the future to such an extent that they despise present things for their sake. The world demands evidence, but the Christian is content with the bare Word of God. The world seeks guarantees and sureties, while the Christian substitutes faith for all proofs. The world is perpetually plagued by doubts, hesitations, and fears, but the Christian believes fully, obeys, and submits entirely.

I envisioned the world as a great clockwork mechanism. I saw numerous pillars, wheels, cogs, and notches, all in motion. At the center of it all was the invisible main wheel, from which all other movements originated. To make this clearer, I saw the glory of God, perceiving how His power fills the heavens, the earth, and everything in between. His omnipotence extends to all things, and everything occurs according to His will. I saw that every person lives, moves, and exists solely in and through God. I saw how His eyes roam the whole earth, seeing everything and continuously penetrating every human heart.

I also noticed that His mercy overflows in all His works, most marvelously in His interactions with humanity. I saw how deeply He loves humankind and wills their good: He is patient with sinners, forgives the erring, calls back those who stray, receives the repentant, waits for the hesitant, tolerates the unwilling, teaches the ignorant, lifts up those who fall, gives to those who ask, opens the door to those who knock, and even goes out to meet those who do not seek Him. Yet I also saw how terrible and fearful He is when angered by those who defy or are ungrateful to Him—how His wrath pursues and overtakes them wherever they flee. None can escape His hand, and falling into it is unbearable. A fearsome and majestic God reigns over all things, and nothing happens but by His will.

Comenius " A világ útvesztője és a szív paradicsoma" Bibliaiskolák Közössége, Budapest, 1990