Light a Candle - for you or for a loved one

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have light and life.” (John 8:12) Perhaps these are the very words that have led us to believe that as long as we have Christ’s light in our hearts we shall never walk in darkness. Believing these things inspire us to remember our brothers and sisters too who continuously live in the darkness of sin.

For us Christians, a lighted candle symbolizes Christ, the Light of the world. And so it is that every moment we light a candle, we are connecting our minds and hearts to Him who is ever near and ready to heed our call. With every candle lit, we offer a prayer for our selves, for our loved ones and for our neighbors in need. That indeed is the very essence of our Christianity, we live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, and therefore we are in communion with each other. We are not a solitary being living alone and caring only for ourselves and our own lives. God willed it so that we live in unity with the rest of creation and especially with our fellow men.

When we light a candle for someone who needs it, whether that person is a family member, a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, a leader or someone we met on the streets, we are affirming and witnessing to the purpose of our being here. No one really lives alone. God never desired anyone to live an isolated life. We were meant to be a community of God’s children and it is only fitting that we take notice and care for whoever is in need and take their urgencies to the One who can truly provide and understand their needs.

We light a candle in the church as we pray for others in need and we leave that candle burning as a testament of our desire that it reaches God so that help may come immediately for our brother or sister.
  

It is also our hope that those who see our lighted candle will remember to pray for another person who might need it at that moment. As we do this, we are not only offering our prayers for a neighbor, but we also become symbols of the Light of Christ glowing to the whole of humanity and touching lives as we kneel down to pray.
 
We light a candle to pray for someone for various reasons. We pray for physical healing for someone who is in his sick bed and has stayed there unable to help himself for a long time now. We pray for emotional healing for someone weighed down by hurts and fears and is left with no one to come to his aid. We pray for someone who is going through a lot of trials and defeats and hope that the Light of Christ shows him the way, strengthen him and lead him to go beyond his current state.

We light a candle to pray for someone’s protection and safety so that he may live his life freely and without fear. We pray for an outpouring of blessings for someone who may have lost everything and have lost all hope that he will be able to get back on his feet again.

Let us never forget, we also light a candle for someone to celebrate that person’s life. Over the years, we may have witnesses how he persisted and kept going in spite of all the failures he has gone through. This, I believe, is the best offering to God, our Provider; a prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of someone who have triumphed despite the odds that life has put him in.