Q: Can you please tell me the meaning of the unusual expression “welcome them into the light of your face” in the new translation of the second Eucharist Prayer?
A: The new translation simply brings the English into line with the Latin which is in lumen vultus tui, literally “into the light of your face.” The former translation was “into the light of your presence”.
Those to be welcomed into the light of God’s face are “our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy”.
It should be remembered the second Eucharistic Prayer is a new one, introduced after the Second Vatican Council. Before that, only the first Eucharistic Prayer, or Roman Canon, existed in the Latin rite. So we are dealing with a modern usage, not an ancient one. But why this strange expression?
Since all the Eucharistic Prayers are addressed to God the Father, the expression “the light of your face” refers to the face of God the Father himself.
But does God have a face? Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, has a human face, which all those who knew him on earth saw and which we will see in his risen body in heaven. But God the Father and the Holy Spirit, who are pure spirit, do not have a face in the strict sense.
Yet God himself in speaking with Moses refers to his face: “‘But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live’” (Ex 33:20). Likewise, God says to Solomon: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face … then I will hear from heaven …” (2 Chron 7:14). St Paul, too, speaking of heaven, refers to the face of God: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).
How will we see the face of God in heaven? Theologians have said in order to do this we will be given what they call the lumen gloriae, the light of glory, understood as a special help in order to see God who is pure spirit.
But why do we speak of the “light” of God’s face? It is clear everything about God is light. If we associate darkness with sin and the devil, we associate light with God. Jesus himself says to Nicodemus, “And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God” (Jn 3:19-21).
Indeed, Jesus calls himself the light: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). And Jesus shows us the light of his face in the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor: “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2).
Even a human being like Moses, who is a figure of Christ, reflected the light of God in his face after coming down from the mountain: “His face shone because he had been talking with God … and they were afraid to come near him” (Ex 34:29-30).
We find mention of the light of God’s face several times in the book of Psalms. For example: “Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord!” (Ps 4:6). “Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance, who exult in your name all the day, and extol your righteousness” (Ps 89:15-16). “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance” (Ps 90:9).
So the expression “the light of your face” has a solid scriptural foundation. One day, if we are faithful until the end, we will behold the light of God’s face in heaven. Indeed, we long for it.
With the psalmist we say: “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not your face from me” (Ps 27:7-9).