The Dark Church and the Light of the Soul

By Israel Centeno

Imagine, for a moment, that the human soul is like a gothic church cloaked in shadow—a silent space where stained glass windows, rich with forms, colors, and symbols, stand intact but unseen. Everything is there, but only dimly perceived, awaiting a light that has not yet arrived.

In this darkness, beauty exists, but it is dormant. The soul moves by faith, guided by signs, comforted by symbols. And yet, something is missing: the light that reveals the fullness of what is already within.

This metaphor, though not found literally in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, serves to illustrate a core element of his theology: the distinction between our knowledge of God in this life and the direct vision of God in eternity.

In the Summa Theologiae (I, q.12, a.1–10), Aquinas reflects on the words of St. Paul, “Now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). That is, even when illuminated by faith, we know God only through mediated, imperfect images, distorted by language and shaped by our limitations.

Similarly, in the Summa Contra Gentiles (Book III, Chapter 51), Aquinas explains that our understanding of God is constrained by the senses and the natural mode of the human intellect. Yet, in the life to come, the soul will be perfected by the “light of glory” and will behold God directly—without intermediaries, without veils, without darkened glass.

Thus, we offer this metaphor: the soul as a shadowed church illuminated by divine light. In this life, the stained glass is present, yes—but the soul perceives only outlines, symbols, color without radiance. In the beatific vision, however, God Himself becomes the light that floods that inner church, making every hidden element of the soul shine with meaning.

This is not mere poetic ornamentation. It is a visual translation of a deeply contemplative doctrine. The windows of our existence—etched with choices, wounds, hopes—await the light that comes not from the world, but from the Creator.

And when that light bursts in, the soul ceases to interpret. It beholds.

Then, truly, the soul shall know as it is known.

And the dark church shall become a house of glory