Why is the Church compared to the dawn?
Since the dawn transitions from darkness to light, the Church should be referred to as the "dawn" or "first light." As she guides us from the darkness of disbelief to the light of faith, she leads us toward the radiance of heavenly brightness, just as dawn breaks into day after darkness. The words from the Song of Songs capture this accurately: "Who is she who is coming up like the dawn?" The holy Church seeks the rewards of heavenly life and is rightfully called the dawn because she dispels the shadows of sin and shines in the light of holiness.
The dawn, or first light, proclaims that the night is over but does not yet reveal the full brightness of the day. It dispels night, it gives a beginning to the day, yet it is a combination of light and darkness. Are we not all like the dawn, those of us who seek and follow the truth in this life? Some of our actions are truly deeds of light, while others still bear traces of darkness. As the psalmist proclaims, no one is virtuous before God, and Scripture reminds us that we have all sinned in many ways.
This is why St. Paul does not say, "The night has passed and the day has come," but rather, "Night has passed and the day is approaching." This unequivocally demonstrates that he is still in the dawn, after the end of darkness but still anticipating the rising of the sun.
The Church will only resemble the fullness of day when the darkness of sin no longer exists among her members. She will truly be like the day when she radiates the perfect warmth of an inner light.
God illustrates that we are still experiencing this dawn when he asks Job, '"Have you ever commanded the dawn to its place?" Something that is being sent somewhere is transitioning from one place or state to another. The perfect brightness of eternal vision is the ultimate destination of the dawn, and the Church.
And when the Church reaches her destination, will she still retain any trace of the darkness that has passed? Like the dawn, she eagerly seeks to reach her destined place. Thus, the psalmist yearns, "My soul thirsts for the living God; when shall I appear before the face of God?" The Church, hurrying towards her known destiny, echoes this sentiment when Paul expresses his desire to die and be with Christ, declaring, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
From The Moral Reflections on Job by Pope St Gregory the Great
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