The ancient church knew that our bodies need light as much as our souls do. In the darkest months, they developed practices to mark light's return and invite illumination within.
February 2nd is Candlemas on the traditional Church calendar in many countries. On this day, Christians have prayed using candles (a common way of lighting the dark before electricity), for over a thousand years, and would often pray over their stock of special-occasion candles for the year ahead. The wax represents Christ's flesh, the wick his human soul, the flame his divinity. These blessed candles become household treasures, lit during storms, at sickbeds, during family prayer, and at the hour of death.
While these material practices are less familiar to us in modern life, there is still an invitation here to choose to interact more intentionally with the world God created in a way that praises him using our whole being: body, mind and spirit. Try this: the position, standing with arms raised and palms open, was the earliest Christian prayer posture. It represents both receptivity to grace and Christ's posture on the cross. This month, try this simple practice: in the morning when you wake up, raise your arms in welcome, and pray: "Light of the world, Jesus Christ, shine in the darkness."
As the days lengthen by roughly two minutes each day, pay attention. Notice when the evening light lingers a moment longer. Let your body register what your soul already knows: the light is returning.
Scripture meditation
As you read these verses, ask God to speak to you about what it looks like for your body, mind and spirit to worship Him in wholeness, without separating the “physical” and the “spiritual." While this is a great mystery, we acknowledge that he has created as as natural beings, and He has also died for us so we will be raised as spiritual beings. We bear the image of both the earthly man, and the heavenly man.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
1 Corinthians 15:42 - 49
