Lumen Christi

Light is a prominent theme in the liturgy and teaching of the Catholic Church. It is a symbol of Christ himself, who is called ‘the Light of the World,’ as in the famous prologue to the Gospel of John:

and his life brought light to everyone The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Each year on the evening of Holy Saturday the Easter Vigil begins in darkness. The Easter fire is blessed, and from it the Paschal candle is lit, announcing Christ’s Resurrection, his victory over the darkness of the tomb. From this fire each person present lights a smaller candle until the dark church is filled with the glow of many flames. This liturgy shows the power of the symbolism of light: as the flame is shared it is multiplied, not divided. It grows brighter, rather than diminishing.

Bringing this light to everyone and helping everyone to walk by the light of Christ is at the very heart of the mission of the Catholic Church, and therefore of the Diocese of Westminster. Cardinal Vincent Nichols explained, in his homily at the 2019 Mass for New Catholics:

We all know our lives can be shrouded in darkness: the darkness of pain, of confusion, of conflict, of a seeming total loss of inner peace. Here, in Jesus, is the light that overcomes all darkness. His light is a shining invitation. It is the Holy Spirt that says to us ‘Come.’ It is the Church, the Bride, who says to us ‘Come.’

This invitation is expressed in the activities of the Charity. The light of Christ shines in the liturgies of the Church, in the education and pastoral care given to young people through Catholic schools, in the outreach to the poor and the vulnerable, and in the activities that offer a community to the lonely and abandoned. This shining light is a source of hope for many who find the world a dark, unwelcoming or confusing place. St John Henry Newman, the great 19th century scholar and apologist who was canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019 in St Peter’s Square in Rome, is known to many through the stirring and evocative verse he wrote. One of his best-known compositions is the hymn Lead Kindly Light:

Lead Kindly light, amid th’encircling gloom; Lead Thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on! Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene— One step enough for me.

Newman’s image of the Kindly Light of Christ is a hopeful one. A single person, lighting her small candle from the Paschal flame at the Easter vigil will not be able to see the whole church, but she can see enough to take a step towards her neighbour, to share the flame and make it brighter. The single flame of the Paschal candle is enough to give the whole congregation hope that there will be enough light to see by, and to take one step, and then another as the gentle, kindly light grows stronger. So it is with the varied ministries of the Church: each one is a candle to light the feet of those it serves, offering hope, consolation, and an invitation to follow the light, to take it up, and to banish the darkness of the world one flame at a time.

Easter Vigil in Westminster Cathedral