Our Venerable Father Pachomius the Great. Saint with Six Stichera.
Acts 10:34-43; John 8:12-20.
Read John 8:12-20
Why did pirates wear eye patches? Surprisingly, it wasn’t just to cover a missing eye. Pirates used eye patches to keep one eye adapted to darkness. When going below deck—often pitch black—they could switch the patch to the other eye and see instantly. Without this trick, they would have to wait up to 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust through the buildup of a light-sensitive chemical called rhodopsin in rod cells. One flash of bright light could erase that adaptation entirely—back to square one. Shiver me timbers!
The One who designed the marvel of the human eye—with its longing for light—also designed the human soul with an unquenchable desire for Truth. It is that Truth every soul seeks, and the world, knowingly or not, longs to encounter. This yearning can be dulled by artificial lights—lesser loves, half-truths—but they ultimately leave us empty, like men living on sugar and starch: never truly nourished.
For this reason, the One who longs for joy in every heart and peace among all people chose to come among us Himself. Hence the words: “I am the light of the world.” Like the created light of the sun, the Uncreated Light of the Uncreated Son requires no mediation—its own power and goodness are enough. That same goodness explains why He didn’t send an endless stream of prophets, but came Himself, veiled in human frailty.
If that Light lives within us, no matter how deep below deck we must go on life’s stormy seas, we’ll never be overcome by the dark. The Light of the world will not merely shine upon us—it will shine within us, transforming us from spectators of Truth to bearers of it.