Lighting candles to saints

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In engagin on debates on Myspace, someone mentioned the things that the Catholic Church does “wrong”
the usual stuff, but he also mentioned “lighting candles to saints”

What can I say for that?
Especially in a Scriptural basis, perhaps as in Jewish ceremonies (tho they were directed towards God).

God bless
 
who says we ever light candles to saints? I’ve never done so. I’ve lit a candle to serve as a visual reminder and focus while praying, certainly. The prayer is just as likely to be to Jesus or the Holy Spirit or the Father as to a saint.
 
Jesus is the Light of the World; a candle thus is a symbol of that Light.

As far as lighting a candle to a saint, why does one approach a saint? To ask that saint to join his or her prayer with ours with the ultimate object of the prayer being God. One could as easily say one is lighting the candle to honor God, by way of the saint. The communion of saints keeps us more in mind of ‘loving our neighbor’ in our pursuit of the other of the two great commandments–loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

These “scrupulous devotees” as St. Louis De Montfort puts it seem to think that anything which is not directed 100% to “God alone” is wrong --never realizing that by asking the intercession of the saints–who are more alive in Christ than we are on earth–we are following the Scriptural suggestion of being “where there are two or three gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them”.
 
We ask our friends and family on earth to pray for us, don’t we? And those who have died and gone to heaven, we call saints. Who better to ask to pray for us than saints?

A candle is just a symbol of our on-going prayers, even after we leave the church. We usually find devotional candles grouped by themselves or grouped in front of a statue of Mary – not usually in front of a statue of a saint. Only in one church have I ever seen devotional candles in front of a saint statue.

I find it very comforting to think that Mary or a saint is still praying for me, even after I have finished praying. Just like a family member or friend here on earth would pray for me, so does the saint, and that is represented by the candle.
 
In some churches you do see candles being lit in front of Saints and such…

but you’re right, too. LilyM Thnx!

God bless

thank you guys for all the answers.
keep them coming!
 
jpjd said:
We ask our friends and family on earth to pray for us, don’t we? And those who have died and gone to heaven, we call saints. Who better to ask to pray for us than saints?

A candle is just a symbol of our on-going prayers, even after we leave the church. We usually find devotional candles grouped by themselves or grouped in front of a statue of Mary – not usually in front of a statue of a saint. Only in one church have I ever seen devotional candles in front of a saint statue.

I find it very comforting to think that Mary or a saint is still praying for me, even after I have finished praying. Just like a family member or friend here on earth would pray for me, so does the saint, and that is represented by the candle.
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Ummm … hate to break this to you, but Mary is in fact a saint. Although she is by far the greatest of all the saints, she isn’t divine or anything.

She is very much a human being, albeit an extraordinarily graced and holy one, and therefore a saint.
 
LilyM said:
Ummm … hate to break this to you, but Mary is in fact a saint. Although she is by far the greatest of all the saints, she isn’t divine or anything.

She is very much a human being, albeit an extraordinarily graced and holy one, and therefore a saint.
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Geez, Lily, no need to be condescending. Of course I know Mary is a saint. However, since we never refer to her as “St. Mary”, I spoke of her as being in a separate category.
 
jpjd said:
Geez, Lily, no need to be condescending. Of course I know Mary is a saint. However, since we never refer to her as “St. Mary”, I spoke of her as being in a separate category.
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I beg to differ again. Our Cathedral here in Sydney, which is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, is named St Mary’s Cathedral. My high school, dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea, is called St Mary’s High School. Many other examples of the same exist across my country, and I dare say across yours as well if you took a look. She is certainly OFTEN referred to as ‘St Mary’.

Mary is uniquely the greatest of the saints, no more no less. She is individually the pinnacle of the category of saints, not out of the category entirely. To treat her as something totally ‘other’ risks blurring the gulf between all created beings and their (infinitely greater) Creator.
 
Hi J1,

Well, what do they think is wrong with lighting a candle in front a saint’s image? Do they think it goes against against the Bible?

Lighting a candle is a way to honor a saint, one of God’s friends. In the days when lighting was expensive, sacrificing some money to pay for a candle was a sign of respect. It continues as such.

Verbum
 
LilyM said:
I beg to differ again. Our Cathedral here in Sydney, which is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, is named St Mary’s Cathedral. My high school, dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea, is called St Mary’s High School. Many other examples of the same exist across my country, and I dare say across yours as well if you took a look. She is certainly OFTEN referred to as ‘St Mary’.
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There are 9 parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland that are named St. Mary. Here is a link that lists all the parishes.
 
LilyM said:
I beg to differ again. Our Cathedral here in Sydney, which is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, is named St Mary’s Cathedral. My high school, dedicated to Our Lady Star of the Sea, is called St Mary’s High School. Many other examples of the same exist across my country, and I dare say across yours as well if you took a look. She is certainly OFTEN referred to as ‘St Mary’.

Mary is uniquely the greatest of the saints, no more no less. She is individually the pinnacle of the category of saints, not out of the category entirely. To treat her as something totally ‘other’ risks blurring the gulf between all created beings and their (infinitely greater) Creator.
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Lily,

You are coming across as argumentative. I am not trying to make Mary into anything “other” than what she is. The separate category I spoke of, apparently unclearly on my part, is referring to her being the greatest of the saints, the Blessed Virgin, yes SAINT, Mary. The greatest of the saints, yes; not divine, yes. We all agree. Nothing to argue about.

I forgot about churches and schools called St. Mary. Personally, when I pray to Mary, I don’t call her St. Mary, I call her Blessed Mother or Blessed Virgin Mary. That’s her name to me. That’s why I don’t think of her as named St. Mary. It’s NOT because I don’t think of her as a saint or that I am trying to make her into an “other.”

Kind of like our priest is Father Lastname. Then one day I heard a friend of his talk about someone called Firstname, and I didn’t realize until later the friend was talking about Father Lastname! I know him as Father Lastname, and I don’t think of him as Firstname. Same with SAINT Mary.
 
lily n jp r funny
🙂
But good point, where in the Bible would it contradict such practice?
 
J1Priest said:
Especially in a Scriptural basis, perhaps as in Jewish ceremonies (tho they were directed towards God).
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The Lord directed Moses to build a seven-lamp lampstand, put it in the tabernacle, and keep its lamps burning regularly before the Lord. (Exodus 25:31-40; Hebrews 9:2) For the same purpose, it seems, Solomon placed ten lampstands in the holy place of his Temple. (1 Kings 7:49) As far as I have been able to determine, the Bible doesn’t explain the symbolic significance of these lamps but, in Revelation 1:20, lampstands represent local churches. So, perhaps the lamps were meant to be vigilant representatives of the people of Israel before God. The candle that a Catholic lights seems to have a similar purpose, to serve as a vigilant representative of that individual’s prayer request before God or his saints.
 
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