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The Stewardship of Candles
How authentic flames light up worship
We all love candlelight. It is so evocative and special. The fact that a “consuming flame” is burning during worship is a very powerful aesthetic. It’s primordial as well as spiritual. It’s not just the burning bush which spoke to Moses, it also represents the life-enhancing balance we share with nature herself.
As a postulant to holy orders in the 1980’s, my first parish still retained the vestiges of a more glorious catholic past. My very first introduction was to the master of ceremonies — an old school catholic — who took great pride in the church candles.
You have to understand that in those days, candles were worked very hard. There was poor lighting, certainly no heating in the winter. Air-conditioning in the summer was something exotic that we knew people living in America enjoyed. Candles earned their keep.
Candles were needed not just to provide pleasant surroundings for worship. They weren’t just a cosmetic addition. On many occasions, such as all-night vigils, they were expected to do uninterrupted duty for up to 12 hours in a drafty old church.
He reminded me of a vintner showing off his various wine reserves and recollecting the conditions of the year of…