At the risk of being repetitious, I would like to say a few more words about the Paschal Candle. We greet it in song as it is brought into the darkness of the church on Holy Saturday night, the vigil of Easter. A new fire is blessed first, and from that fire we ignite the Paschal Candle. Carried in procession and raised high in the church, it is a sign to us of the resurrected Christ who dispels the darkness of sin and ignorance. The deacon (or celebrant) sings the beautiful Exultet after it is placed in the sanctuary for the vigil service. It is immersed in the Easter water as a sign that Christ gives his life to us through the waters of Baptism. It is on this night that those who are coming into the Church are baptized at the ceremony. During the year, perhaps we miss sight of it since it is kept by the Baptismal font and not by the altar (as during the fifty days of the Easter season)? Each person baptized has his or her individual candle lit from the Pascal Candle. The candle is also placed at the head of the coffin in funeral Masses, as an expression of our belief in the resurrection of Christ who said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” It is the silent witness to our belief that those who die with Christ will rise with Christ. In the Pascal Candle are imbedded grains of incense in five places, reminding us of the five wounds that our Lord bore for our salvation— pierced hands, feet and side. At his death, blood and water flowed from the side of Christ. The doctors of the Church saw in this— symbols of Baptism and the Eucharist. This candle is also incensed at Easter and at funerals; in so doing we honor the resurrected Christ. As the candle is consumed by burning, so our lives should give off the light of Christ in our conduct; indeed, we should also be consumed in our service to the Lord.
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