Candles

I remember talking to a priest, discussing the use of candles in the Mass. He asked me if I knew why candles were used. My mind jumped to the theological, scriptural, and even symbolic reasons; however, I wanted to hear what he had to say. I simply asked, "Why are they used?" He responded, "Because they didn't have electricity in catacombs and medieval churches, candles were used so the celebrant could see and read during the Mass."  His response shocked me because of the clear difference in our approach. Obviously, that was the reason, but I was waiting for something profound.

Sometimes practicality comes first and then the deeper meaning follows. Other times, functionality and meaning go hand in hand. And occasionally, the meaning of a ritual or an item's use in the service comes before the implementation. Candles may very well have been purely functional in the catacombs but there is a scriptural warrant for a deeper meaning(s) in their use. Some of these meanings have even been historically divisive.

During the English Reformation, after the reign of the Roman monarch Mary, Elizabeth I took the throne. Under Queen Mary churches had to have stone altars, candles, icons, rood screens, etc. They had to look like a Roman church. So, when Queen Elizabeth came to power there was to be a royal visitation of the diocese to uphold the Injunctions issued by King Henry in 1547, assuring a break from certain Roman ideas. The six clergymen assigned interpreted and enforced these injunctions in the most Protestant way they could. Their extreme actions included getting rid of icons and images (i.e. crucifixes), removing stone altars, removing candles from the altar, etc. They saw these as going against the Second Commandment and furthering the concept of the Mass as a re-sacrificing of Christ. The Queen was so shocked by their actions that as a way to push back, she had candles and a crucifix placed on the table in the Royal chapel. She even tried to have rood screens brought back but dropped it after continued pushback.

Over time, the practice emerged to use anywhere from two to six candles on the altar depending on the type of Mass. An additional candle would also be placed on the altar if the Bishop was present. These candles, according to the Roman Rite, are to be made of pure wax, extracted by bees from flowers, which symbolizes the pure flesh of Christ received from His Virgin Mother, the wick signifies the soul of Christ, and the flame represents His divinity.

In addition to the Atar candles, there is the Presence candle. This is linked back to the Old Testament command to have a lamp burning in the Tabernacle: "And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute forever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel." (Ex. 27) This lamp is placed in churches near the Tabernacle to show that Christ is present in the reserved sacrament.

Throughout the history of the Church, candles have been used in the service. Perhaps they were merely functional, to begin with. But scriptural passages like Christ's own words, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," or the passage from Exodus mentioned above, provided a deeper meaning to their use. In the liturgy, we are reminded that Christ comes into our presence as the candles are lit upon the altar. This is why the service ends with the candles being extinguished, not as a way of saying Christ is no longer with us, but that we have received him in the sacrament and are now sent forth with Christ out into the world to do the mission of the Church--this is also why the cross processes out because it is Christ leading us out into the world for his mission.

Let the candles remind you of the light of Christ that sends us forth into the world. The Mass is the height of the Christian life but it always sends us out to share the light of Christ in dark places. "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" 2 Cor. 4:6

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,

Fr. Aaron