The light of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

If then the light in you is darkness: the darkness itself how great shall it be!

Jesus says: “The light of your body is the eye.” Some translations read: “The lamp of your body is the eye.” Jesus then speaks about a single, or clear, eye, the fruit being that the whole body is full of light.

It is important to know that man has a physical eye and an inner – spiritual – eye. The spiritual eye reflects the inner life. Man either lives by the law of God and so he is wise, or has the light of wisdom, or he lives a sinful life, commits evil and so he is in darkness, spiritually blind. This spiritual eye is an inner look turned toward God, listening to the voice of conscience, perceiving that God sees everything and that nothing is covered that will not be revealed. Each of us will give an account for everything. If man lives his life with God and according to God’s commandments, his inner eye is sound. He fights envy, hatred, jealousy, greed, lust for wealth, moral impurity, selfishness, and tries to do good and do the will of God. This inner picture or inner contents of the soul is reflected in the physical eye. We can see in the eyes of man if he is bad, if he desires someone else’s property, if he nourishes hatred or has an evil intention – such an eye is in darkness.

If the light in you is darkness: the darkness itself how great shall it be! If man suppresses the light of conscience given by God, he is filled with darkness and the eternal darkness of condemnation is in store for him. So what to do? To enter into the light again and again through constant repentance. This Light is Christ and His Word. We should break with lies and love the Truth, which is Christ Himself.

Let us walk in the light, that we may be aware in prayer that God sees us and in this light give our sins to Jesus crucified, as the Scripture says: “If we walk in the light, the Blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.” (1Jn 1:7) Let us love the truth. Christ is the Truth, and He is also the Light of the world. If we are in Christ, we are in the light. If we are not, we are in darkness.

Download: Reflection on Mt 6:22-23