Due to the terrible COVID-19 illness that afflicts so many in our country and around the world, this Easter will not be like any other. We will not assemble in person in churches, most will not receive the Blessed Sacrament, and we will not exchange handshakes or hugs. We may feel alone and even forgotten, but in faith we know that we are neither alone nor forgotten by Christ. We may receive Him spiritually, and we will be sustained until this scourge is ended.
We invite Christians across the Nation to light a candle on Holy Saturday at sunset as a symbol of our unity and common vocation to glorify God. Place an electric candle in your window or light a candle in your driveway for all to see and join together in prayer:
We gather around this candle whose flame pierces the darkness and proclaims by our faith that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. We thank you for your Son, our Savior, and ask You to bless us and grant these petitions:
May this candle be our Easter candle in troubled times.
May Christ’s light warm the poor and heal the sick.
May Christ’s light caress the lonely and embrace the lost.
May Christ’s light reach into the corners of our hearts and dispel our darkest fears.
May we, by our charitable words and deeds, be Christ’s light to others and so light up the world.
And may we draw ever more closely to Jesus Christ, our light and our risen Lord.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
