There is an old tradition in centuries about distributing blessed candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Imagine if you have received a candle from any celebrations of the Church, what would you do with it?
First and foremost, the blessing being included in the Roman Missal summarizes the spiritual symbolism of this sacramental.
And on blessing the candle, the Priest says this prayer below.
O God, you are the source and origin of all light,
you on this day showed to the just man simeon
the light for revelation to the Gentiles,
we humbly plead that,
as you answer your people’s prayers,
you may be pleased to purify with your blessing these candles, which we are about to carry in praise of your name,
so that, walking through the path of virtue,
we may reach that light which never fails.
Through Christ our lord.
It is suitable to leave the blessed candle in a prominent place in your home or on a prayer table. Because it will always remind you of Jesus, as the light of the world, and invite you to prayer. Then, you can light the candle when you devote time for personal or communal prayer in your home to help you focus.
Candles in other ways, provide a powerful spiritual atmosphere, which even the secular world knows. They can also calm the heart and open us up to the light of God.
Another way to use the blessed candles is to bring them out during harsh weather. Catholics in a traditional way would always light the blessed candle during a strong storm, they will invoke the power of God to protect their home. Most often, Catholic spiritual traditions have a practical element where the candle will be useful if the power goes out.
In addition to that, on account of their association with the “Light of the World”, blessed candles are a powerful sacramental to use against evil spirits moving about. We all know that the devil lives in darkness, and so the light of the blessed candle invokes the power of God to keep the devil’s influence at bay.
Lastly, if you are not able to use the blessed candles due to fire codes, or simply because the candle is no longer usable, it is best to dispose of it in a proper way.
Catholics are always instructed to dispose of old sacramentals in a way that shows due reverence to God. All sacramentals can either be burned or buried in order to dispose of them properly. In that case, this type of disposal honors their sacred purpose and returns them to the earth in a respectable way. If a person is unable to properly dispose of it, the person may drop the sacramental off at the parish office and someone on staff can take care of it.
Blessed candles are in some places, gathered together and melted down to create the Easter candle. Though this custom is not practiced everywhere, so please it’s advisable you contact your local parish or monastery to see if they do it.
If you are looking for something to raise up your spiritual life, consider using blessed candles to illuminate your soul, restoring it out of darkness.
