Sacrificial candle
Sacrificial candle (also sacrificial light or votive candle , votive light ) are candles that are set up outside the liturgy in a church as a visible sign of prayer , often for a special purpose .
Theological background
The burning light symbolizes the glory of God, to whom the prayer is directed, and at the same time the veneration, thanksgiving and request that arise to him. In front of an image of Mary or other saints - in Catholic churches - it means the request for their intercession with God. The candle gives the prayer, beyond the time of the presence of the prayer, a perceptible form for himself and others.
As a transitory votive offering , the sacrificial candle is related to general religious sacrificial customs , which in Christianity are understood as part of the performance of Jesus' gift of self . The votive candle can be understood here as a thank you candle and to fulfill a vow ( Latin votum , oath, promise '), which is lit by believers out of gratitude that something has been fulfilled for which they prayed.
Historically, the custom of sacrificial candles goes back to early Christian times and is related to that of the grave light .
Use of sacrificial lights
Catholic , Orthodox and increasingly also Protestant churches have specially designed candlesticks or candlesticks for sacrificial lights (regionally also "sacrificial lights") , which are sometimes artistically designed, and offer lights for a small amount of money. These are often ordinary candles, some churches also use a tealight- like one in a plastic or glass cover, and there are also oil lamps that look like a candle, which are filled with lamp oil and are therefore reusable. In Orthodox churches, thin, long candles that are put in a bowl of sand are usually common.
Numerous sacrificial candles, often larger, specially designed pilgrimage candles, burn in pilgrimage churches . For safety reasons, in most churches the placing of sacrificial candles is only allowed on the stands provided for them, and only the candles available in the church may be used. At some places of pilgrimage, for example in Kevelaer , in Ars or in Mariazell , the number of sacrificial lights is so great that special protective measures have been taken to protect the church, works of art and the organ from sooting. Some of them have their own candle chapels (called “candle grotto” in Mariazell), which are then included in the pilgrimage processions. In some places there are experiments with electric sacrificial candles, recently also as LCD lights and partly in a shell made of real wax. The “candle” can be switched on by inserting coins and then burns for a certain time, controlled by an automatic system.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Willibald Sandler : The Sacrifice of Christ and Our Sacrifice (Distinctions and Connections) , Decision 48 (1993), Issue 1, pp. 8-13
- ↑ Roland Breitenbach : Licht Gottes, leuchte uns ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 92 kB)
- ↑ Currently (2019) e.g. B. in Munich in the Bürgersaalkirche at the grave of P. Rupert Mayer .
- ↑ www.basilika-mariazell.at: Worth knowing.
