The light shines in the darkness

By Lois Heron

 

“Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.” (Gn 1:3-5)

We know this: the Creator God revealed his glory in the order of creation by the light of the sun and the rhythm of evening and morning—the beauty of the earth, the joy of nature, the life of objects, and the blossom of colors—all dependent on the rhythm of his created light. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands” (Ps 19:2). He declared his handiwork good, and then the triune God created us in his image: “Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness” (Gn 1:26). And he said it is very good! 

But our souls darkened as the light of life dimmed because of sin, so the triune God incarnated himself and became the God-man, Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Just the thought of that should shut our mouths wide open as we marvel at the lengths God’s love has gone for us. 

We may not know this: God’s intention for his created handiwork is to be blessings as we walk the path of faith. Let’s consider how God’s creation, precisely light, becomes a visible sign God uses to allure us into companionship in his divine life.

 

The candlelight of Advent

 

Having just walked through the Advent season, we witnessed the beacon of hope that pierces through the darkness of our current place in history and marks the first coming of Jesus as the light of life into human history. This Immanuel (which means “God with us”), prophesied through the prophet Isaiah, came to enlighten our darkened souls and guide us back home. St. John succinctly captured the essence of this mystery when he wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness …” (Jn 1:1-5).

The Advent readings called upon us to be vigilant and prepared, not weighed down and distracted by the concerns of this world (Lk 21:34-36), to ready ourselves for Jesus’ imminent arrival into the reality of our lives. What we witnessed with our senses in the liturgy—the colors purple and pink, the Advent wreath, particularly the Advent candles—unveils the sanctity of waiting and anticipation in the busiest time of the year. 

Consider the beauty of a lit candle as a symbol of the light of the world, Jesus Christ. The harmony of candlelight with the nature of the liturgy is evident in the dawning light of Advent through the lighting of the candles each Sunday, reminding us that the Light of the World will never fade. And as the weeks passed in anticipation of Christmas Day, more and more light was generated. As we keep a silent vigil in remembrance of the coming of Jesus, whether during Advent or any time of the year, we do well to remember that he is always calling us out of our darkness and into his light. Father Christopher Hughes, parochial vicar of Ave Maria Pastorate, reminds us in one of his poems that the eternal and inexplicable flame of his love is mirrored in the flame of a blessed candle:

 

“O Heart of Jesus, make room for me

Among Your holy flames so bright,

That I may cast Your Heart’s fire on others

And that in Your Heart others may be alight.”

 

The light of Candlemas

 

The purity of the candle matters to the Church. Father Timothy Smith, parochial vicar of Queen of Peace Pastorate and judicial vicar for the diocese, refers to the rubric in the Roman Missal that consistently dictates the quality of beeswax candles used during the prayers of the Church. These prayers acknowledge the mystery of creation manifested in the work of bees in the Exsultet Easter proclamation, which is chanted during the lighting of the Paschal candle: “But now we know the praises of this pillar, which glowing fire ignites for God’s honor, a fire into many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light, for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious” (Candlemas: The Blessing of Candles).

In February, candles for use in the liturgy of the Church and worship in the home are blessed at Candlemas, which commemorates Christ’s presentation in the Temple. The liturgy of Candlemas unveils the inherent power of a candle as a sacramental of the faith for devotional purposes. 

Father Hughes explains the significance of pure beeswax candles for the liturgical year this way: “The Lord gives beautiful things to us. We need to return beautiful things to him. There’s something beautiful about beeswax candles; they are the work of creation that takes time.” He and his parishioners gather on Candlemas in a procession toward the altar, where he prays the prayer of blessing over the candles for the liturgy in the church and the home:

“O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, bless these candles at our request. By the power of the holy cross, bestow a heavenly blessing on them, O Lord, Who didst give them to mankind to dispel the gloom. Empowered with the seal of thy holy cross, let the spirits of darkness depart trembling and fly in fear from all places where their light shines, and never more disturb nor molest those who serve thee, the almighty God, Who livest and reignest forevermore. Amen.”

Blessing the candles also coincides with the Lord’s power to “make all things new” and for his purposes. When we light a blessed candle, we enter into the work of re-creation in the liturgical life of our homes. It brims with a sacred slowness to protect and nurture the divine life within us. By lighting a blessed candle, we are humbled, enlivened and made more receptive to receiving God’s grace in the sacraments.

The grace-filled practice of piety and devotion to the Lord is tremendously vital to the life of a Catholic family because it extends the liturgy of the Church into the everyday living of the faith.

 

Jesus will always find us. There are no barriers too thick, no caves too deep, no sorrow 

too profound for his light to penetrate. It fills the immensity of space, so why 

not the confines of your soul?

~McKenzie Sue Makes

“The Study of Light”

 

We are all like Simeon, waiting for the consolation of the Lord in all of our life circumstances. We long to behold God’s salvation and for his Spirit to rest on us, kindling our spirit with the fire of wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and reverence. 

Father Hughes says it well in another poem:

 

There’s no more splendid place to wait

than in Eucharistic Love

In the Heart of Jesus, all in Flame

poured out from above.

 

The luminary of the home

 

God’s favor awaits us when we light a blessed candle in devotion to him. The flame invites us into the soul of Christ as we pray the Word of God that is a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths. The Spirit of the triune God illuminates our hearts and minds as we walk the path of faith. He emblazons our hearts with his image. He magnifies his light in us to direct us in truth, and he transmits all of God’s wisdom to us. Imagine what awaits us when we slow our frenzied lives and keep vigil for Christ’s coming into our ordinariness! 

There are many times when we are keenly aware of the dubious ways that darken the ways and means by which we try to manage our lives with the facsimiles of enlightenment that flash around us. They are all dispelled by sitting in the glow of the light of the world and allowing him to enlighten our minds with the wisdom of his Holy Spirit.

Many prayers of Sacred Scripture and the Church ask for God’s light to shine upon us; consider incorporating these two into your prayer life.

 

Come, Wisdom, Holy Wise One,

Visit the warped reason of my mind!

Flame in my confusion with white light. 

Waft the sweet diffusion there of certain night …

 

Speak with tongue of fire in my soul’d stillness.

Finger of God, flaming finger cauterize my folly.

Be in all the cunning maze, bright and burning sign.

Trace with fire on dubious ways, loves design.

 

–Invocation of the Holy Spirit

 

You may desire to use this prayer to bless your family as you light a blessed candle before sharing meals or reading the word of God together at bedtime or before everyone begins their day.

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

 May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.

~Amen

Nm 6:24-26

 

 

 

Lois Heron is a parishioner at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Sioux Falls. She is a writer and retired educator.