January 2018
S
Lighting the History of Candlemas
through Jesus & St. Blaise
even out of ten households have them. Retail
sales are over $2 billion. They are available
online, at all types of stores, and can be found in
most churches. What are they? Candles.
We burn candles for various reasons. Scents promote
relaxation, put us in the holiday mood, or make our home seem
clean and fresh. Candlelight sets the scene for romance or give
a dinner a warm feeling. And Catholics like to burn candles for
spiritual reasons.
Many Catholics keep blessed candles in their homes to
burn as a form of prayer, either for a loved one that has died or
for a special intention. It reminds us of the light of Christ and
the burnt offerings that were sacrificed in Old Testament times.
Each year Catholics are reminded of the importance of
candles as sacramentals on February 2nd, Candlemas, also
known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. But what do
candles have to do with Jesus being presented to the Lord?
At the time of Jesus' birth, there were two important
Mosaic laws. One stated that women who gave birth were
“unclean” and that the mother had to be purified. The other
stated that the firstborn male child belonged to God, and the
parents had to "buy him back" on the 40th day after his
birth. The laws were such that the purification of the mother
and the presentation of the child be done at the same time.
Purification
involved bringing a
lamb or bird to the
Temple to be offered,
and in exchange the
woman would be
considered cleansed.
Although Mary did not
need to be purified,
she submitted herself
to the law.
At
Jesus'
Presentation,
Mary
offered Him to the
Father, and then Joseph would have paid the priest five shekels.
Then she would have received Him back in her arms and they
would have been free to go home.
But this presentation was special. For years
Simeon had been praying for the coming of the Messiah, and
God had told him that he would live to see the One he so longed
for. And because of Simeon’s prophecy that our Lord would be
‘a Light to enlighten the Gentiles’ (Luke 2:32) the custom
grew of celebrating the feast with candlelight processions. And
so the title of ‘Candlemas’ was also given to the day.
In Catholic churches today, priests bless candles that
will be used in church and for home use on Candlemas.
Following on the heels of Candlemas is the Feast of St.
Blaise. Not much is known about his life, but we know that he
became a bishop and escaped persecution for practicing
Christianity by escaping into the woods and living in a
cave. Men hunting in the mountains discovered the cave
surrounded by wild animals who were sick. Blaise walked
among them unafraid, curing them of their illnesses.
Recognizing Blaise as a bishop, they captured him to take him
back for trial.
Saint Blaise's protection
of those with throat troubles
comes from a legend that a boy
was brought to him who had a
fishbone stuck in his throat. The
boy was about to die when Saint
Blaise healed him.
Another legend tells of
St. Blaise talking a wolf into
releasing a pig that belonged to a
poor woman. When Blaise was
sentenced to be starved to death,
the woman, in gratitude, sneaked into the prison with food (to
sustain Blaise) and candles (so he would have light to read the
scriptures.) Finally Blaise was killed by the governor.
On the Feast Day of St. Blaise, the throats of the
faithful are blessed using two crossed candlesticks tied together
with a red ribbon, representing the martyrdom of St. Blaise. The
blessing asks for the intercession of St. Blaise to protect us from
every disease of the throat and any other illness. We can also
ask for blessings to helps us refrain from using profanity,
gossiping, or lying to others.
Candles are very important to VOL parishioners as
evidenced by the use of our beautiful candle house. It is located
outside the church behind the statue of Mary and Elizabeth and
is open 24 hours a day. The candle house is filled with 5-day
candles that the faithful may light for a special prayer intention,
or in thanksgiving. Envelopes are available in the candle house
for donations to help cover costs of the candles.
The candle industry in the United States may bring in
over $2 billion annually, which adds to a whole mountain of
cash. But the countless prayers offered through sacramental
candles each year can move mountains.
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