All From a Single Flame

The Easter candle continues to burn throughout the Great Fifty Days. Are you still aglow with its flame? Let’s return to the Easter Vigil. The New Fire is lit, and a spark is taken to light the Paschal Candle. The gesture symbolizes Christ’s rising from the dead in glory. As the deacon processes with it, we are reminded of the pillar of fire leading the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land. The Paschal Candle, symbolizing the Risen Lord, leads us too into transformation as we become the Body of Christ. The single flame is shared among the participants, and the whole church is illumined from one flame.

The Acts of the Apostles read during the Easter Season shows how belief in Christ spread. In today’s First Reading, for example, Philip baptized an Ethiopian and then was snatched away to Azotus to proclaim the good news to many towns until he reached Caesarea. From the single flame of Christ’s glorious resurrection, the light spread quickly and continues to spread across the globe.