Lighting a candle is a sacred ritual in many religions. It is a prayerful intention to remember a loved one or to pray for those who have died. We can pray using words or in silence, but the act of lighting a candle can be itself prayer. It is expression, longing, remembering, hoping. A candle is a symbol of Christ-light entering into our darkness.
I am drawn to the display of candles in churches, chapels, basilicas and other places of prayer. When alone in prayer or in meditation with friends, a candle is lit. When away from my family on trips, I light a candle for them. When 500,000 people in my country die in less than a year, I am moved to pray with candles.

Join me in prayer, a visio divina, for the 500,000 who have lost their lives to Covid in the United States, for those who have died throughout the world and for all their loved ones. May their lives and memories be a blessing.

Truly, it is in darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us.
Meister Eckhart


Come, let us worship God who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light.
Psalm 100



The wound is where the light enters you.
-Rumi



In the light of faith I am strong, constant, and persevering. In the light of faith I hope, suffer me not to faint by the way. This light, without which I should still walk in darkness, teaches me the road
-Catherine of Siena





February 23, 2021 at 9:28 pm
May Light Eternal shine upon all of our brothers and sisters throughout our country and world who have died from COVID 19. May the glow of that eternal light in which our brothers and sisters dwell cast a gentle ray of consolation, healing and peace for all who loved them and now mourn their absence.
Fr. Jim Secora
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February 24, 2021 at 12:14 pm
Amen. A beautiful prayer
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February 24, 2021 at 8:54 am
What a touchy tribute to the 500 000 who lost their lives due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Thank you for the fantastic array of burning votive candles in shrines Abbeys and Cathedrals in Germany during our pilgrimage. Jodi, you are amazing.
Thank you Jodi . Volker
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February 24, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Aw you are too kind. I couldn’t stop thinking about candles so I scoured through my photos. So many beautiful sites and memories.
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February 27, 2021 at 4:08 am
Thank you fryhe I tires and prayers. It spark hopein the heart of this grief stricken widow who feels unmoored and lost in the dark.
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February 27, 2021 at 10:46 am
So sorry for your loss and grief. May you find comfort in cherished memories.
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