By Patricia Patnode

As our Fall fades into winter and days grow shorter and darker, we should consider lighting candles more regularly. Candlelight can make meals feel more special, add warmth to a room and elevate prayer intentions. Goodwill and other second hand stores often have an assortment of candleholders, and candleholders generally fall into the bucket of forgotten tchotchkes that grandparents want to offload and other relatives aren’t interested in taking.

Thanks to electricity, we no longer depend on candles or torches as our only sources of light. We’ve swapped them out for abrasive fluorescents in professional settings and yellow light bulbs at home. Candles have become an infrequently lit table decoration, and more often are used for filling a room with seasonal scents with less importance given to their light.

Candles have been around for at least 5,000 years. The Romans are credited with developing the wick candle about 3,000 years ago -- ever since there have been countless other marginal innovations to the light source. From funky patterns and shapes, to scented oils mixed in, there have never been more choices to light up a room. 

In most Catholic churches, images of Mary or various Saints overlook rows of small votive candles. These little candles are more than just flickers of light; they’re symbols of prayers of the faithful. The ritual of lighting a candle brings an intimate, quiet moment—reminding us that we’re entrusting a prayer to God or a saint. There’s always a coin box nearby for donations, allowing those who can afford it to contribute.

Candle smoke and the faint scent of incense are hallmark smells of our faith and aren’t suitably replaced with a plastic substitute. I’ve been witness to a variety of church activities and celebrations where real candles are swapped for battery operated ones. When children are involved, this can make sense, but for other circumstances plastic lights simply don’t feel as reverent. A little fire must be intentionally created with a lighter, matches, or a mother candle. 

Even a two inch birthday candle is dangerous if not attended to. Without the realness of melting wax, we miss out on the warmth, the living quality of a flame, and we lose some sacred simplicity. Making a prayer and clicking a plastic Made-In-China candle doesn't feel sufficiently spiritual, even if it’s sometimes the sensible option.

Candles can also help remind us of the many persecuted Christians who secretly celebrated Mass at night, or deep in the catacombs. They had the courage to seek God in darkness, relying on faith and just a small flame to go about their worship. Candlemas, celebrated on February 2, is a beautiful echo of this tradition. The Church blesses candles, remembering Christ as the light of the world.

In his Contra Vigilantium, St. Jerome defends the use of candles in Christian worship against the outcries of an opponent who criticized Christians for lighting candles in the daylight, citing waste and excessive indulgence of the light source which was more precious at the time. He wrote, “Throughout the whole Eastern Church, even when there are no relics of the martyrs, whenever the Gospel is to be read the candles are lighted, although the dawn may be reddening the sky, not of course to scatter the darkness, but by way of evidencing our joy.”

Lighting real candles can bring a little more softness and spiritual depth into our lives, especially as the days grow darker. As we turn to candles to enrich our homes and prayers this winter, we’re participating in an ancient tradition that reminds us of the days before light switches and reminds us of Christ as our light.