The life within!

I watched this candle casting the shadow of its burning wick on the melted wax, which was transparent to look at.

As the wind circulating in the room turned the flame in different directions the shadow also was correspondingly eccentric to look at. 

The solid wax turned transparent while burning. That in itself is a truth worth looking at. Light makes the opaque wax transparent. The light within each of us is able to dispel darkness of fear, anxiety, jealousy, deceit, craftiness, manipulation... and make our interior reflect the light. I remember a colleague when I was working in another institution, came to apologise to me for the rumours that he spread about me. The context was that he heard the story of Zacheaus, who confessed his wrong doing when he met Jesus of Nazareth.  

The flame turned its direction when the wind was blowing on it. But the flame returned to its original position. It is also a metaphor.  We would feel swayed by circumstances, but we are endowed to stay rooted and steady. We are called to be overcomes of circumstances. A student mentioned to me that he decided to write his practical note book every day so that he would not have the temptation to ask a junior student to copy from someone's record just before the examination. 

The melted wax feeds the wick to burn. The wick is drawing its power to burn from the wax. We need energy and strength to live. The spiritual resources we have in our lives feed us with energy to live and serve. A mother told me that she got up early, before everyone else to find fifteen minutes to read the Scripture and pray to remain amiable to her three children and husband. This has been her life line for fifteen years. 

I wish I can keep light as a symbol of such profound meaning in my life! The other day a colleague lit the candle in the place where I welcome families for consultation. This candle was not lit for a few weeks. When I watched the candle, I seized that its light is a symbol!

M.C.Mathew.