The Faith of One Little Candle
It takes longer for the sun to come up. And it goes down much quicker this time of year. The night is so long. We are a people who long for the light. The Church recognizes this longing through the Advent wreathe.
The first week with one candle draws to a close. Next Sunday we light two candles. The advent wreathe at St Joseph’s is setup to allow the candles to burn the entire week. If you get a chance to stop in and pray you will see the one lone candle with a tiny flickering flame braving the darkness. At the back of the church, you see a little spot of light. As you get closer you notice just how small the flame is. The slightest breeze will make it flicker. It almost goes out. But then it hangs on and continues to burn.
Our faith is much like that lone candle. Perhaps we sense our faith is so small, just like the candle. The least little test is given to us, and we feel our faith waver and flicker, almost going out.
But our faith never really goes out. It was given to us by God. He is who sustains our little flame. As we conform our will to His, our flame grows brighter and stronger. We should not think of what we want but what God wants and strive to shape our will to His.
Next week, we light two candles. I look forward to seeing the light from two candles in our advent wreathe next week. Perhaps my little light does not give off much light, but with another believer, our lights will shine brighter as we help each other to the coming of Christ our light.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen