The Flame

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was a mystic and later named as a "Doctor of the Church" because of her writings.  In The Dialogue, she records conversations she had with Jesus, Who gave her understanding of spiritual truths.

In one of the conversations, Jesus gave her the image of a burning lamp that all the world would come to for light.  He told her that the light of the lamp would never be diminished by sharing, no matter how many people came, and that each person who came would have the whole -- not just a part of the---light from the lamp. 

However, the intensity of what each person carried away would depend on what sort of material was brought to receive the fire.  If one person brings a tea candle (my example, of course, not His), the flame will soon burn out.  If someone brings a one-pound candle to receive the flame, the light will last longer --- but "each candle, the smallest as well as the largest, would have the whole light, with all its heat and color and brightness."

The Lord went on to tell Catherine that our "candle" is love..."for I created your soul with a capacity for loving -- so much so that you cannot live without love.  Indeed, love is your food."

The purpose of all religion, no matter its origin, is to cultivate faith, hope, and love within the souls of its practitioners.  If any religion fails to achieve that aim, it has failed altogther.  Culturally and emotionally, we will all respond to different forms and expressions of these three virtues, but ultimately, they must take root in the soul, if the soul is to live.

As one of my former students pointed out once, many people have lost faith, and they continue on, but in order to live, we must have hope.  I think that is exactly right:  hope is the reason we push forward, despite the darkness around us--- and what we hope for is that love is not lost to us entirely and forever.  When we are finally able to light our candle with even a little love, our faith begins to grow.

We simply must find ways to keep lighting our candles so that the flame does not go out once and for all.