While we may not have been able to visit our loved ones in the cemetery on All Soul's Day as we used to before the pandemic, we have found other ways to honor their memory by offering our prayer intentions in masses and through individual prayers. We lit candles outside our homes in the hope that our loved ones would be delighted by our gesture of remembering them. And we have so many practices that we seek spiritual manifestations for, and why do we do this?
Even for those who have been gone for a long time, we want to remember them. These are memories that once completed our lives when they were with us and will always be a part of who we are as individuals and as a family.
Aside from its literal and functional purpose of providing light in the darkness, the candle that we light during this commemoration serves to pave the way as a guide toward a journey for the eternal. This eternal journey returns us to our Creator. And for us on Earth, it illuminates and reminds us of our transient presence, guiding us to do good as we prepare to embark on a similar journey to our Creator. The light signifies God's illumination of life, revealing hidden things, and knowing the intentions of the heart. The power, however, is not in the candles, but in God.
The act of lighting a candle to pray is not mentioned in the Bible. Candles were not lit for this purpose by the first disciples. Because there was no electric light, candles were used only for lighting and for guiding their way. They were not used to aid in prayer.
Lighting a candle does not give prayer any power. A prayer for God with a lit candle is the same as a prayer without a candle. He is pleased with a contrite and humble heart, not with candles. We don't need to make sacrifices or buy candles in order to gain God's favor.
In some cases, the candle can serve as a reminder that Jesus is our light and that He must be at the center of our lives, or that we are called to be lights in the world.
On our journey, we may witness many things: other people's injustices, the excesses of those in power, and the sufferings of the oppressed. These scenes are so obvious that we must choose whether to continue on our journey or to take a stand and do something to improve the lives of others. Our individual actions would contribute to a larger positive change, one that we would like to see in the lives of others.
The upcoming May 2022 elections require a great deal of illumination because we must distinguish between truths and fallacies. We need light to distinguish the fallacy of popular voice from the few, unpopular clamor, and we will not be swayed quickly by a popular voice that appears to control and take away from the truth.
Finally, we know as Christians that Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world. May we truly be lights for everyone. That when there is doubt, we can help others in seeing the truth.