Leave a Candle in the Window
Feb.
05, 2009
“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
The Confessions of St. Augustine
Book 1, Childhood
Chapter 1, God and the Soul
In Ireland, after the practice of Catholicism had been outlawed in the late 17th Century, families would place a candle in the window at Christmas, an invitation that a priest was welcome to celebrate a clandestine Mass in that home. The candle was also a symbol of welcome to the Holy Family, looking for a place at the inn.
Today, in the Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal Seán has encouraged all Catholics to again use the candle as a symbol of welcome. If you are a non-Catholic, we invite you to learn more about Catholicism. If you are a Catholic who has been away from the faith, we would like to welcome you home. Yes, there is a place for you. St. Augustine, upon returning to the Church after some time away, addressed the Lord with the words, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” If you are experiencing restlessness, Jesus can help you experience peace. Like St. Augustine, you can come home. The candle in the window is for you.
The opportunity to welcome others is one that belongs to Cardinal Seán, to our clergy and religious, and to all Catholics. Faith is a gift of God, a gift we have the honor of handing on. Evangelization, the calling of every Christian, is sharing the Good News with others in order to reveal God’s love for us to the world and to help build a civilization of love. We can do this by inviting a family member to join us at Mass and by being open about our faith, not hiding the light of Christ under a bushel basket. For we are only fully living our faith when we are sharing it with others and inviting others to experience the joy of knowing Christ and His love for us.
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