Benjamin introduces the Paschal Candle

Hi!  My name is Benjamin.  I’ve been around The Beloved Community at The Trees for a few months now.  You may not have heard much from me, because I’m quiet. I am a church mouse after all.  For a while now, I’ve been making my way around the community, learning about the different parts of worship and how the community operates.  Each week, I’m hiding somewhere, observing what the community does and how they use different objects for worshiping God. 

Although I try to stay quiet, recently someone found me near the Paschal Candle.  What’s a Paschal Candle, you ask?  Oh, how exciting!  Can I tell you what I’ve learned?

In the Episcopal Church, which The Beloved Community is a part of, candles are a normal part of worship.  But the Paschal Candle is something special.  I didn’t see it used in worship until recently.  It turns out that it’s only used for a short time of the year or for special services.  

The Paschal Candle at The Beloved Community at The Trees

The candle itself is usually white, with some symbols on it.  These are often gold and red.  I noticed on the candle there was a cross, and the Greek letters signifying Alpha and Omega.  I don’t speak Greek, but I learned that these letters are the first and last of the Greek alphabet and represent Christ as our beginning and our end.  And the cross, that has meaning too!  The Paschal Candle is first lit each year during the Easter Vigil, the first celebration of Easter.  That’s where the candle gets its name, by the way.  The term “Paschal” reminds us of  Easter or Passover. At the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle is lit from the new fire, which I’ll have to tell you about at another time. 

Once the candle is lit, it is carried by the deacon, who pauses three times and says, “The light of Christ,” and everyone responds, “Thanks be to God.”  It was fun to watch our Deacon, Dan, do that this year.  Over Easter, I learned that this candle is lit to remind us of the light of Christ rising from the dead.  That’s why Dan said this to us before we took the candle inside for the rest of the vigil.  

It’s nice having the candle around, but it won’t be with us much longer.  We burn it each time we gather for worship during the 50 days of Easter.  After Pentecost, which we celebrate 8 Sundays after Easter, we won’t use it anymore, unless we have a baptism or a funeral.  For these special services, the candle reminds us of the hope we find in being part of the body of Christ and in the promise of resurrection.  It’s amazing that one simple candle can have so much meaning. 

So, yeah, someone noticed me admiring the Paschal Candle.  But it’s hard not to admire it.  It’s so full of symbolism and promise.  If you visit The Beloved Community at The Trees sometime before Pentecost, maybe you’ll observe the Paschal Candle and think about Christ’s promise to all of us.  I sure hope you do.  And, if you do visit, be sure to look for me.  I’ll be hiding quietly, but I’ll be there.   

Until next time, 

Benjamin (the church mouse)