Fan Into Flames The Fire Of Faith

2022년 10월 2일

Fan Into Flames The Fire Of Faith

< Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time >

              Fire plays an important part in our expressions of faith, from the candle we receive at our baptism, lit from the huge paschal candle that also graces our sanctuary during the entire Easter season. The paschal candle itself, representing the Risen Christ, is incensed during each Mass and stands in the center aisle at the foot of the casket during funeral Masses. A red vigil candle always stands near the tabernacle to signify the sacramental presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Lit candles are on the altar during each Mass, not only to make our Eucharist meal more festive, but to remind us that many years ago, Christianity was persecuted by secular governments, forcing Catholics to meet underground, literally, in the catacombs beneath the city of Rome. Torches were used to light the dark tombs and chambers while Mass was said. When the Emperor Constantine legalized Catholicism, the Church emerged from the dark but kept the burning torches as a reminder of our persecuted past.

Today, we burn candles to remind us we might again be persecuted for our faith. Indeed, today, even as we speak and as we gather here peacefully every Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist, the Church is still being persecuted. The government of Nicaragua has been arresting priests and bishops, and expelling Missionary Sisters of Charity for working to help the poor and be the voice of the voiceless. China, too, has in recent months cracked down on Christian churches, forbidding them from displaying a cross at the top of their steeples, disbanding women’s religious congregations and forbidding anyone younger than 18 from attending Mass. So when we come to Mass and see the lit candles, let us remember our past when the Church faced persecution. Remember the present, where Catholics face persecution around the world today. And pray that in the future, should a time of persecution return, we will have the strength and courage of our ancestors, to fan into flames the fire of our faith that the gospel might once again set the world ablaze.

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