Search
-
December 3, 2021The other day I was thinking about how many insider tips for life that I’ve learned from working in churches for so many years. I know how to remove wax from a carpet without scorching the fibers, for instance (you use an iron but put a paper bag down between the iron and carpet).
In particular, I was thinking about how I’ve learned that it’s much easier to light a candle if it’s been lit before. That’s the reason that we sometimes pre-light candles before whatever Mass or rite they’re meant to be used in; they catch much easier, allowing people not to have to struggle to light the wax-covered tapers at important last moments.
That got me thinking about faith, and about how much harder it is to start a new faith than it is to rekindle faith that’s been there before. It’s the reason we are gathering up our Alpha “graduates” and friends this weekend to spend a day away together (not that far away, I admit!). If you’re like me at all, your faith may have gone a little cold during the times when we were kept from gathering. It’s a natural thing; it’s why we celebrate together weekly, because we know that there is power in consistently coming together around the table of the Lord.
When we are apart from that source of strength, it can be hard to keep the candle burning. But it’s possible to re-light.
There’s power in gathering, power in the Word of God to sustain us, and of course power in the Eucharist to feed us and nourish us for the journey we are all on. I ask your prayers for the rekindling of faith for our Day Away guests and team, and I pray that your faith will be strengthened in this season of Advent, too.
