Pastor’s Letter: April 27, 2025

Pastor’s Letter: April 27, 2025

25 Apr 2025 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family, 

Blessed Easter to you all! I pray that this past week has been a joyful one—and that this Divine Mercy weekend brings a great consolation to our hearts. I have been reflecting this week on many wonderful Easter blessings—I am so thankful for everyone who helped make our Triduum and Easter celebrations wonderful. I thought our church looked beautiful and the music was truly uplifting. The post-Easter Vigil Feast was one to remember!  In fact, I heard one family share that even though that Easter Vigil Mass is longer than usual, all their kids wanted to come to it…and to especially enjoy the party after! =) Congrats again to our OCIA class members who joined the Church—it was such a joyous gift to be able to make the spiritual journey with them. During most of my 21+ years as a priest, I have taught RCIA/OCIA and walked with the classes in the months of preparation for the Easter Vigil. This year I was really struck by the genuine faith of our class, the eagerness to learn, and the joy of arriving in that moment of receiving the gift of Jesus in the Sacraments. They remind us all to never overlook the gifts we have…and the generosity of Jesus in being so close to us!

Another reminder of Jesus being close with us is one of our prominent symbols of the Easter Season—the Paschal Candle. The very large candle, placed near the pulpit/ambo during Easter time and usually near the baptismal font during other times of the year, is called the Paschal Candle or the Easter Candle. This candle is very prominent at the Easter Vigil, where its symbols are described. Usually most obvious are the five grains of incense, which are typically waxy incense packed together around a small nail. These incense nails inserted into the candle recall the five precious wounds of Jesus (mentioned again below). One might also notice the symbol for the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end of the Greek Alphabet…as well as the numbers for our year 2025. These recall that all time belongs to Christ. The candle is burned during Masses in the Easter Season, up until Pentecost. Additionally, the candle is used at baptisms and funerals. It is especially significant for these two celebrations, which highlight our participation in the Paschal Mystery of Christ (passion, death, and resurrection). That is, in Baptism we are baptized into the death of Christ so that, having lived faithfully, we also might share eternal life with Him when our time comes.

As far as history goes, the Paschal Candle seems to have been regularly used before the late 300s AD, since St. Jerome mentions it in a letter he wrote in 384 AD. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Jerome’s description “makes it probable that the practice was neither of recent introduction nor peculiar” to the local church he was referring to. Other early saints make mention of the Paschal Candle as well, including St. Augustine and St. Ambrose (late 300s/early 400s). “Whether consciously designed for that purpose or not, the paschal candle typified Jesus Christ, ‘the true light which enlightens every man that cometh into this world…’ In the…wax a later symbolism recognized the most pure flesh which Christ derived from His blessed Mother, in the wick the human soul of Christ, and in the flame the divinity of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Moreover, the five grains of incense set cross-wise in the candle recalled the sacred wounds retained in Christ’s glorified body and the lighting of the candle with new fire itself served as a lively image of the resurrection.” During later times, “St. Bede, speaking of the year 701, [said] that it was usual in Rome to inscribe the date and other particulars of the calendar either upon the candle itself or on a parchment affixed to it.” Today, Paschal Candles come in many different designs, but all include rich symbols of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. So, the next time you have an extra moment, please feel free to venture up and have a closer look at this remarkable symbol of our Easter Faith!

Know of my prayers and blessing for you all this week!

In Christ,

Father Luke