A Farm boy had a fear of the dark. One night his father told him to go to the barn to feed the animals. The boy turned pale. When his father saw this, he stepped onto the porch, lit a lantern, and held it up. “Son,” he said, “how far can you see?” The boy said, “I can see halfway to the barn.” The father said, “Walk halfway to the barn.” When the boy reached the halfway point, the father called out, “How far can you see now?” The boy said, “I can see the barn.” The father said, “Good! Walk to the barn door, open it, and tell me what you see.” When the boy got to the barn door, he opened it and shouted back to his father, “I can see the animals!” The father said, “Good! Now feed them.”

God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished.

That story makes an excellent point. The lantern did not light up the whole barnyard. It lit only a part of the path leading to the barn. But that was enough to get the boy started down the path. The rest took care of itself.

RCIA is like the lantern. It does not light up everything there is to know about the Catholic faith. It lights up only “a part of the path.” But it is enough to get us started down the path.

This story is an exerpt from Pathway to Catholicism by Mark Link S.J., page 213. 1991.
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