Continuing my reflection upon candles, the offering of a burning candle before altars and shrines is an act of prayer to God, our Blessed Mother, or the saints. Because the candle signifies our watchfulness, we call it a vigil light. It is also called a votive light because it is our silent intercessor and a prolonging of our prayer. We light a candle to show honor to God. It is a mark of our dedication, of our confidence in his presence and promises. Through our vigil light, we give outward evidence of our spiritual desires. Consequently, as we go about our daily tasks, the candles’ flame continues to express our worship, praise and petition. The lighted candle is not more important than the Mass, the sacraments and our prayers. We do not light candles on the way back from Holy Communion. We do not come into the church, and by dropping coins into the votive rack, seek to be an annoyance to the congregation who are saying public prayers. Neither do we do anything to distract from the Readings that are a part of the Church’s liturgy. The votive candle is not magic. The lighted candle will not take the place of our personal prayer but is a token of our wanting to be in the presence of God while still going about our daily tasks.
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