Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Candles

As The Catechism tells us, the Catholic intuition “creatively combines the divine and the human…spirit and body,” the material and the spiritual. So it is that yesterday on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord candles were blest, and today candles are used to bless our throats as we pray for the intercession of Saint Blaise. Candles help us to notice the sacred in the ordinary.

In yesterday’s homily Father Dominic reminded us that the candle is an apt symbol of Christ, for as it burns it holds nothing back but spends itself to give us light. The candle is a perfect symbol of Christ’s total self-sacrifice. What is more, Christ invites each of us to give the gift of ourselves for others. We are invited to become like candles, giving off light and warmth and consolation, so as to scatter the darkness of our world and warm hearts with new hope.

Photos by Brother Brian.