O Lord, Thy mercy is in heaven,
and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness is as the mountains of God,
Thy judgments are a great abyss.
Men and beasts wilt Thou save, O Lord.
How Thou hast multiplied Thy mercy, O God!
Let the sons of men hope in the shelter of Thy wings.
They shall be drunken with the fatness of Thy house,
and of the torrent of Thy delight shalt Thou make them to drink.
For in Thee is the fountain of life,
in Thy light shall we see light.
-From Psalm 35
THE BUSH
I know that bush,
Moses; there are many of them
in Wales in the autumn, braziers
where the imagination
warms itself. I have put off
pride and, knowing the ground
holy, lingered to wonder
how it is that I do not burn
and yet am consumed.
And in this country
of failure, the rain
falling out of a black
cloud in gold pieces there
are none to gather,
I have thought often
of the fountain of my people
that played beautifully here
once in the sun’s light
like a tree undressing.
-R. S. Thomas
A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period –
When March is scarcely here.
A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.
It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope, you know
It almost speaks to you.
Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay –
A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.
-Emily Dickinson
As part of our celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, in the Orthodox Church we bless candles. Maybe some other Christian traditions still do this, as it is the ancient feast of Candlemas, and many cultures and nations have their many practices around it. I’d be interested to hear of any that linger among my readers’ communities.
As to candles, I found this helpful article from St. Gabriel Orthodox Church in Ashland, Oregon, about some of the symbolism in our use of of them, “handed down to us from St. Symeon of Thessaloniki (c. 1381–1429).”
1 – As the candle is pure (pure beeswax), so also should our hearts be pure.
2 – As the pure candle is supple (as opposed to the paraffin), so also should our souls be supple until we make it straight and firm in the Gospel.
3 – As the pure candle is derived from the pollen of a flower and has a sweet scent, so also should our souls have the sweet aroma of Divine Grace.
4 – As the candle, when it burns, mixes with and feeds the flame, so also we must struggle to achieve theosis.
5 – As the burning candle illuminates the darkness, so must the light of Christ within us shine before men that God’s name be glorified.
6 – As the candle gives its own light to illuminate a man in the darkness, so also must the light of the virtues, the light of love and peace, characterize a Christian. The wax that melts symbolizes the flame of our love for our fellow men.
So let us pray that the Light of Christ may illumine us as well!
