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It has provided us with a sharper image. It has defined clarity. It has allowed us to get a gander, check our form, and make ourselves up. It can be found in the home, at work, in everyday items, and even in equipment. What is it? It is a mirror.

Mirrors and their use date back probably to the first time cave dwellers saw their reflection in a pool of water. Man’s interest in seeing just what he looked like seemed to elicit a most strange curiosity. If we could go back in time to witness the first time man had experienced seeing his reflection in a pool of water we might find the first reaction comical. Most probably, not knowing what he looked like, early man might have frightened himself, that is, of course, until someone explained that the strange being peering back in the reflection was truly the same person examining the mirrored image. Confusing? Certainly. It may have even occurred that the first reflection discoverers actually tried to communicate with themselves not realizing that it was only a reflection and not another person. Certainly modern man could construe all sorts of comic scenarios based upon this new discovery of mirror images. Each individual, however, now could see the differences they had, and what each and every man, woman, and child might look like. Unlike most other species, we all have similarities, but also differences. Naturally, people began to make comparisons to other reflections, and it did not take long for civilized people to begin to groom and make adjustments in the way they looked. All it took was a mirror to point out unkempt hair, unsightly blemishes, and wounds from hunting which could be better examined. Cosmetics would become big business. Certainly mirrors and their development have a wonderful history.

Once people discovered they could view what they looked like, different means were developed to accomplish the task of viewing oneself. Polished obsidian, copper, bronze, tin, and even iron all were used as crude mirrors. These early mirrors, unfortunately, were mostly reserved for the rich and famous, and often distorted the true image. It was not until the time of Christ, however, that glass backed in gold leaf and even molten lead allowed not only the rich and famous, but the everyday individual to see their reflection. Even so, mirrors were scarce until a process of coating glass with silver nitrate made these reflective devices more affordable in the nineteenth century. Truly man could now get a better view of himself. And, so began the era of the sharper image.

Today, we are all cognizant of the need for a mirror. We perform all the early morning rituals of preparing for our day standing, seated, or passing back and forth in front of a mirror. We brush and floss our teeth and examine our smiles. We comb or brush our hair, apply makeup, put up and take down curlers, dry wet hair, dress, undress, exercise, admire our form, exercise in front of, and even, at times, castigate our comeliness. Mirrors, in fact, are a part of our daily routine all day. We find mirrors everywhere, and even carry them around for emergencies. They are installed in motor vehicles to allow us a better view of the road and those around us. They are in microscopes, telescopes, cameras, and are the basic implement at a dentist’s office. They are used to examine, probe, and help us get a better view in hard to reach places. My favorite mirrors can be found on the Hubble telescope which has taken us to places heretofore unseen rich in beauty and scope. This scientific wonder has enhanced even more the sharper image.

But, the mirror has an even more defining purpose. It allows us to see the real me. Now comes the challenge. How many of us really look in the mirror? What do we really see? Is the reflection coming back me, or is it someone else?

Great Lent will soon be upon us. This is the time we examine ourselves spiritually and effect a change. Lent is a time to search our total being and begin a "make over." And, it all starts with a mirror. Is our reflection the kind of mirror image which reflects Christ, or is it some cosmopolitan, commercialized, Park Avenue, made-up sighting? For more than 40 days, we will be asked to replace our pangs of hunger with the joy of our saving, forgiving Lord. We will be asked to fast from meat, dairy, poultry, and even olive oil in order to make even the subtlest change in our spiritual being. We will be asked to look into the mirror and see beyond our external being to the inward soul, and make adjustments, fine tune, and change for the better. This is the most difficult mirror watching gaze we can perform, because nothing should be taken for granted. None of us are perfect, and our faults are numerous. Great Lent is not a frivolous passing before the mirror image, but a real test of our commitment and willingness to enhance our relationship to Christ. For us, there is no greater sacrifice, than to sacrifice for Jesus. We do not "give up" something; we make a change. We build a stronger bond. We look for the light in our soul which is not easily seen, because it is not found on the outside. It is not a facade. It is within, sometime covered up, clouded over, covered with dirt, and in the most severe cases so grimy, that it is dimmed to barely visible.

Great Lent is a time of reward and the most exciting time in our mirror watching lifetime. If we see a blemish on our face, we apply medicine. When we see a blemish in our soul, we ask for forgiveness, fast, and, with a contrite heart, receive Holy Communion. Great Lent provides the opportunity to gaze in the mirror and change. Services are plentiful. Special presanctified Liturgies are performed every week. Prayers are offered to the holy Virgin Mary, Theotokos. We even remember the deceased friends and family who have preceded us to the world of eternity.

The time of Great Lent allows us to cleanse our soul from pollution and allow the real "me" to emerge so that what we see in the mirror is not simply our image, but the reflection of Jesus in us. This is the only sharper image we should see. This is what mirrors are really for. Have a blessed Great Lent.....Fr. Pat