A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 19 - Tuesday, May 11th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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WHY ARE VIGIL LIGHTS LIT BEFORE ICONS? By St. Nicolai Velimirovich FIRST – because Christ said: “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12). The lamp reminds us of our faith that Christ illumines our souls. SECOND – to remind us of the radiance of the saint before whose icon we light the lamp, for they are sons of light (Jn 12:36, Lk 16:8). THIRD – as a reproach for our dark deeds, evil thoughts and desires, and to call us to the path of evangelical light; so that we would more zealously fulfill the commandment of the Savior: “Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works” (Mt. 5:16). FOURTH – as a small sacrifice to God who gave Himself completely as a sacrifice for us; as a small sign of our great gratitude and radiant love for Him from Whom we ask for life, health, salvation and everything that only boundless heavenly love can bestow. FIFTH – to strike the evil powers that assail us even when we pray, leading our mind away from the Creator; for they love darkness and tremble at light, especially that of God and those who please Him. SIXTH – to rouse us to selflessness; for just as the oil and wick are submissive to our will, so our souls should burn with the flame of love in all our sufferings, always being submissive to God’s will. SEVENTH – to teach us that as a vigil lamp cannot be lit without our hand, so our heart, our inner lamp, cannot be lit without the holy fire of God’s grace, even if filled with virtues for they, after all, are combustible material, but the fire that ignites them comes from God. EIGHTH – to remind us that before anything else, the Creator of the world created light, and then everything else in order: “And God said, let there be light: and there was light” (Gen 1:3). And it must be so also at the beginning of our spiritual life, so that before all else the light of Christ’s truth would shine in us. From this light then, every good deed is created, springs up and grows in us. May the light of Christ illumine you as well!
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