FROM “Divine Love, as a Light which Enlightens us,”  by St. Alphonsus Liguori: 

One of the worst effects which Adam’s sin produced in us, was its blinding our reason by means of the passions, which darkened the mind. O how miserable is the soul that allows itself to be ruled by any of the passions! Passion is a vapour, a veil, which will not suffer us to see the truth. How can he fly from evil, who knows not what is evil? Our mental obscurity increases in proportion as our sins increase. But the Holy Ghost, who is called “Light most blessed,” with His divine rays, not only inflames our hearts to love Him, but also dispels our darkness, and reveals to us the vanity of all worldly things, the value of eternal goods, the importance of salvation, the price of grace, the goodness of God, the infinite love which He deserves from us, and the immense love He has shown to us: The sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the spirit of God (1 Cor. ii. 14. ).

Man absorpt in the pleasures of the earth, knows but little of these truths, and hence he unhappily loves that which he should hate, and hates that which he should love. St. Mary Magdalen, of Pazzi, exclaimed: “O love not known, O love not loved!” And hence St. Teresa said, that God is not loved because He is not known. Hence the saints ever sought light from God: “Send forth thy light: illuminate our darkness: open thou our eyes.” Yes, because without light, precipices cannot be avoided, and God cannot be found.

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