There are few Catholic traditions more ubiquitous than the lighting of candles. From regular Sunday Mass to special occasions—like during Advent, the Easter Vigil and the celebration of sacraments like Baptism and Confirmation, not to mention the votive candles burning in just about every church in the world—Catholics are always lighting up. But why?
For such a simple object, candles are loaded with symbolic significance in the Church. In fact, candles are so central to Catholic worship that the very word—which comes from the Latin candeo, meaning “to shine, glow or burn”—was introduced into the English language specifically for liturgical purposes. Jesus, who is referred to in the Gospel of John as the “the light of men,” is represented by the burning flame that keeps darkness away. But the light of the flame is a reminder to us to be that same light to those around us, as Jesus instructs us in the Gospel of Matthew.
It’s also not just the flame that is symbolic—candles used in the liturgy are traditionally made out of beeswax, which has its own symbolism. The worker bees who produce the wax do not participate in the reproduction of the hive, thus the worker bees have come to be a symbol of the Virgin Mary, while the beeswax they produce represents the pure flesh of Jesus. The wick symbolizes the human soul of Jesus, burning with the flame of Divinity.
Perhaps the most iconic candle in the Catholic Church is the paschal candle, the immense candle lit during the Easter Vigil Mass. Their earliest usage can be traced back to the fourth century, and in the medieval era, paschal candles were enormous—Salisbury Cathedral’s candle famously reached approximately 36 feet in height. In addition to the symbolism already mentioned, the paschal candle is adorned with even more symbols, including: the Alpha and Omega, signifying that Christ is the beginning and end of all things; the current year, which indicates that all of time belongs to Christ; and five grains of incense, usually encased in colored wax “nails,” representing the five wounds of Christ.
The paschal candle takes center stage during the Easter Triduum—the apex of the liturgical year. Beginning on Holy Thursday, all the lights and candles in the church are extinguished and the Eucharist is removed from the tabernacle, depicting the darkness of a world without Christ. During Saturday’s Easter Vigil Mass, a fire is lit and blessed, which is then used to light the paschal candle. In many churches, parishioners will light their own candles from the paschal candle, and finally, the candle will be dipped into the baptismal font three times to bless the holy water. The paschal candle will then be kept in the sanctuary until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the apostles after the Ascension of Jesus. It is then moved to the baptistry where, for the rest of the year, it will be lit for any baptisms that occur.
So, while candles certainly provide beauty during our liturgies, they also remind us of the importance of our traditions and to fix our hearts on Jesus, who is always with us.
