"`Simon, son of John, do you love me?'"
--John 21:17

"THIS MIGHTY PILLAR OF LIGHT"

For fifty days, beginning with the Easter Vigil, the tall Easter candle remains prominent in our churches, reminding us the Risen Christ has conquered all darkness and empowers us to become part of the new creation.  The Church draws its light not from itself but from Christ and His animating Spirit.  Patrick Regan, in Easter, The Fifty Days, offers this reflection on the Easter candle:

"Throughout Easter's fifty days the paschal candle stands, prominent and lofty, in the middle of the eucharistic hall.  As the center pole of the new creation, the candle is Christ, the Alpha and Omega of all times and ages.  Five wax nails are inserted into the candle to signify the wounds that Jesus received in his hands, feet and side when he was crucified.  `By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ our Lord guard and keep us.'  These wounds do not vanish.  They remain with Jesus who repeatedly shows them to his disciples.  They are offered as marks of recognition:  `Look at my hands and my feet; it is really I" (Luke 24:39).

"Lit as the first act of the community's paschal watch, this mighty pillar of light remains in place for the duration of the fifty days enabling the faithful to see, to recognize, to find their way.  It is the light of Christ revealing the love of the Father, and the power of the Spirit in whom humanity is born from above."


Petitions
For light in every darkness; for Pope Benedict, on the fifth anniversary of his papal election; for the repose of the soul of faculty member Mike Lauchlan's mother; for all who have asked for our prayers.


Prayer
"For a Light in the Darkness"
from The Christopher Prayer Book

Father, grant that I may be
a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son.
Allow me to warm the often cold, impersonal
scene of modern life with your burning love.
Strengthen me by your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures, bring home to me
that my advantages are your blessings
to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting to rights
what I find wrong with the world
instead of complaining about it or myself.
Nourish in me a practical desire
to build up rather than tear down,
to reconcile more than polarize,
to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget that it is far better
to light one candle than to curse the darkness,
and to join my light, one day, with yours.
Amen.