PASCHAL CANDLE
From the beginning of our existence we have lived as creatures of light and darkness. The "Paschal" or Easter Candle stands as a sign of the life of God that we receive in baptism. As Christians ("little anointed ones"), we are as our baptism liturgy states "enlightened by Christ and called always to walk as Children of the Light". The Easter Candle is first and foremost about the Easter mystery of death and rebirth that we enter into through the waters of baptism.
It is lit at liturgies and funerals. A new candle is blessed and lit during the Easter Vigil, "May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and our minds", and this candle becomes the Sign of the Light of Christ for that Liturgical Year.
