Tuesday, April 01, 2008

A Flicker of Light

You may have noticed the candle on the right side panel that has been burning the past few days. Though I am a lapsed Anglican-Presbyterian-Anglo-Catholic I have always continued the habit? tradition? practice? superstition? call it what you will, of lighting a candle as a way of asking for a blessing on people I know and care about.

The past few weeks both here in Rome and in Athens, whenever I stop by a church I have been lighting a candle for my friend Elizabeth, KH (her husband), the Things (their 4 children) and the doctors who will be operating on KH today (April 1.) It is not for me to go into details and Elizabeth has explained both the situation and the seriousness of it on her blog.

If you read this and are so inclined I would ask that on Tuesday you remember Elizabeth, KH, the Things and the team of Doctors by lighting a candle, by praying to what ever God you address in prayer, by pausing for a moment or two to think of them or in what ever way you see fit.

Many years ago Father Darby, the Superior of the Cowley Fathers, in response to a rather brashly worded question concerning the lighting of candles - the questioner was a rather rude young man who shall remain nameless - simple said it was a way of bringing attention to our hopes and concerns. And that if nothing else it was a flicker of light that briefly illuminated a dark corner of our world.

1 Aprile - San Ugo

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As I go about my mudane chores today my heart is with Elizabeth and all the other families sitting in hospitals, health care facilities, waiting for word about a loved one.
DF

sageweb said...

Willym, you are so sweet, I have been thinking about Elizabeth since I woke up. "A flicker of light that briefly illuminated a dark corner of the world".. is beautiful!

Doralong said...

A light in the darkness is always a thing of grace.

more cowbell said...

I found this post after the fact, but was thinking about them all day long that day. Very nice post about the candles, Willym.