During the week I gathered with many of the parents of Year 12 students at Genazzano FCJ College.  We celebrated Mass as students across the State were undertaking their first exam for 2022.  At the beginning of the Mass each person present came forward and lit a candle.  The lighting of candles in times of prayer and in times of need seems to be a deeply human thing to do.  It is said that candle lighting is a very ancient practice and probably goes back to human beings’ mastery of fire.  As we know well in Australia, fire can be threatening and destructive as well as giving warmth and heat.  To light a candle is both an acknowledgement of our human vulnerability and a way of feeling in control when we are feeling fragile and in need.  It is interesting to note that in times of tragedy many people gather together around candles.

Often when I close the Church at the end of the day at Our Lady of Victories Basilica, there are a dozen candles burning in the side chapel.  It is a reminder to me that people have visited the Church during the day and brought their needs and prayers with them.  I often stop and wonder who these visitors are and what their prayer is.  I often say a little prayer with the remaining candles as I close the doors.  These visitors have laid their prayers before the God of light and life in the hope that God’s presence will bring them comfort and reassurance.  The burning candles help to prolong the prayer and creates a sense of connection with others who will pass by.

There will be more candle lighting in the coming days, as we celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls.  On All Souls Day, many of us will light candles in memory of those who have died.  Again, the lighting of the candle acknowledges our grief and fragility in a tangible way.  The flickering flame is our memory, it is our grief, it is our heartache.  And it is also our hope, our comfort, and our promise.  The burning candle brings our two worlds of darkness and light together.

For Christians, the burning candle is always a reminder of Christ, whose resurrection from the dead holds out the promise of life to come to all of us.  For Christians, the burning candle is always a reminder that death and darkness will never have the last word.  Our faith is in forgiveness, new life, new hope, and the promise of good things to come.

So, we should take the opportunity to light a candle from time to time: to let go of our fears and anxieties; to bring our memories to life; to state our hope in life and light; to connect ourselves to the world of the living and the dead; and to walk alongside the God of life who hears and holds the flame of our flickering prayers always.

By Fr Brendan Reed