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Good Morning. My late night walks with the dog confirm that quite a few households have left at least some of their Christmas decorations up for much longer this year. But, if you are ever going to put them away for next year, it’s most likely this weekend – as the Christian Feast of Candlemas begins. It’s the time also when churches pack away the Christmas crib. They remember the visit to the Temple in Jerusalem of Mary & Joseph with the baby Jesus to see an elderly man called Simeon. St Luke describes him as righteous and devout. He has been waiting for this moment all his life. He proclaims the child as a light for everyone piercing the pervading darkness of the world. Over the centuries, this combined act of presentation & purification has become a feast of candle-lighting. The priest distributes the candles to the people urging them to spread to everyone the good news of this light. All things considered, my local supermarket, which I’ve come to know very well in recent months, has a remarkable selection of candles for sale. Every shape, colour, size, fragrance and price is on offer. Whether for decoration, relaxation, celebration or remembering – candles have never been more popular. At the end of a week when we have reflected a great deal on lost loved ones and what future memorials might be fitting for the casualties of this pandemic – the simple act of the lighting a candle in the here and now can be hugely significant. For me, as priest, it has become part of my daily routine to light candles for those isolating at home and unable to come to church. I often send them a quick picture from my phone confirming both the act of lighting and the requested intention. The deep gratitude for what has become a symbolic act of commemoration and remembering is a humbling experience. The contrasting themes of darkness and light pervade much Jewish & Christian theology. The Hebrew word Shekinah, prominent in the stories of the burning bush and on Mount Sinai equates light with the actual [physical] presence of God. It is this understanding which frames the story of the Presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem and takes candle lighting to a new level. So why do so many light candles -and how do they bring us comfort? An anonymous Monk of the Eastern Church writes that light and love are brought together in a mystical union in the very act of lighting: for “Love lives in an atmosphere of light”.