In the traditions of the Orthodox Christian Church, a candle is an indispensable attribute in the sacred ceremony. At the same time, the burning candle itself is considered a visible sign, personifying a warm and bright human heart, filled with burning love for the Almighty, the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as for the Saint in front of whom the candle is placed.
But it should be remembered that placing it with an insensitive heart is a great sin, because as soon as the candle has been lit, it is necessary to say a prayer service, albeit in your own words, but with faith, attentively and with reverence, thereby turning all your feelings and thoughts to the Lord.
It is very important to understand the meaning of this tradition, how to correctly light candles for health and which Saints, and whether there are any special signs if the candle suddenly goes out. You can find answers to these questions in the article below.
Why do they light candles?
During the persecution of Christians, they were forced to gather for prayer in secret rooms or catacombs underground. Meetings usually took place at night. The entire procession was illuminated with lamps and candles. The candle flame is a symbol of connection with the Lord, as Jesus called himself the Light. The fire directed upward helps to convey your prayers to God. Also, buying a candle helps the temple receive money for charitable purposes.
What does the candle placed in front of the icon symbolize?
— The fire of a candle symbolizes eternity, a prayerful appeal to God, to the Mother of God, to the saints. The fire always rushes upward, no matter how the candle is tilted, so a person, in any life circumstances, must turn all his thoughts and feelings to God.
When should you light candles?
— Those who come to the temple must light candles before the service begins. It is not good to disturb the decorum of a church by passing candles during a service or by squeezing your way to a candlestick, distracting those praying. Those who are late for the service should light candles after it ends.
How to place a candle correctly?
- You need to make 2 bows from the waist with the sign of the cross (“with the sign of the cross” - putting a cross on yourself), cross yourself, light a candle and make another bow from the waist with the sign of the cross. You need to cross yourself and bow down with reverence, slowly. The candles are lit one from the other, burning, and placed in the socket of the candlestick. The candle should stand straight. You should not use matches or lighters in the temple if there are already burning candles in the candlesticks. You should not light a candle from a lamp, so as not to drip wax into the oil or accidentally extinguish the lamp.
What to say when you light a candle for good health
- Approach the icon and cross yourself.
- Light the candle and place it in a free cell, securing it securely.
- Read the “Our Father” mentally, sincerely wish health to your loved ones (it is advisable to list them by name), you should ask for health to yourself at the very end. If you value the health of your enemies, then remember all the grievances and mentally forgive them, gradually forgetting about the atrocities.
- Cross yourself and bow before the image.
Rules for setting candles
Candles in the temple are placed before the start of the service; if for some reason a person does not do this on time, he must wait until the end of the service. How to light candles for health correctly:
It is necessary to choose a saint to whom a person will turn and light a candle asking for help. Near the faces of the saints there are candlesticks. It is necessary to apply the sign of the cross (cross yourself). It is necessary to light a candle from nearby candles that have already been lit previously, or from a lamp from a candlestick; you must be careful not to extinguish the lamp or pour in wax. You cannot use matches or a lighter in the temple. We place the candle exactly in the free cell. We say the words of prayer and the names of the people for whom you pray. Having crossed ourselves, we retreat to our place.
The number of candles does not matter. Placed candles are a sacrifice to God. It is advisable to remember that in the center there is an icon of a temple or a holiday of the day. If there is no place on the candlestick to put a candle, then you need to put it on the candlestick; you cannot put out other candles in order to put your own. It is not customary to stand with lit candles during regular services.
There is no need to discuss what kind of candles are lit for health; they can be purchased at the temple if desired, asking advice from the temple servants. There is also a category of people who have wax themselves and make candles at home; these are, as a rule, deeply religious people of advanced age.
A suddenly extinguished candle does not carry any meaning; you must try to light it again, or purchase and install a new one.
Don't forget to remember the dead.
What prayers are read when lighting a candle?
- Our Father
- About health
- About repose
- To your saint
Correct reading of the prayer
You need to turn to God or the saints, believing in their help. The best place to pray for the health of children is in church. If parents do not have the opportunity to leave a sick child, then this can be done at home in front of the icon of the saint to whom the request for help is sent. The text must be learned by heart; you cannot read it from a piece of paper, stammer or pronounce words incorrectly. During prayer, nothing should distract the parent.
When turning to the Lord, one must be sure that he will help his son or daughter recover. Without sincere faith, prayer will not bring results.
You should pray for baptized children. You need to ask God for healing not only during a child’s illness, but also when he feels well. This will protect him from various diseases in the future.
Rules to follow when reading a prayer for the healing of a sick child:
- a parent or other relative saying a prayer for the health of a newborn or older child must be baptized himself;
- before praying, you need to light a candle or lamp in front of the icon; it can be placed next to the face of the saint or held in your hand;
- first you need to read the “Our Father”, and then proceed to say a prayer to the chosen saint;
- It is best to pray while being next to a sick child, then he will see parental love and will recover faster;
- if the patient is under 7 years old, in prayer he should be called not a slave, but a baby of God, since all small children are considered the angels of the Lord;
- when you cannot remember the text, you can ask the saints for help in your own words;
- prayer will be more effective if you leave a donation for the temple, and give alms to the poor when leaving it;
- In order for the child to recover quickly, you should pray constantly, without doubting the strength of your faith;
- there is no need to give up reading the prayer when the patient feels better, since a long recovery awaits him, during which he will also need God’s protection;
- Visualization will help bring recovery closer: a praying person needs to imagine his child happy and completely freed from the disease;
- after recovery, parents need to remember to thank the Almighty and the saints for healing their child.
When a child is sick, the clergy advise giving him holy water to drink on an empty stomach and washing his face, hands and feet with it. This will strengthen the effect of prayer for the baby’s health, thanks to which he will have the strength to fight the disease. An older child can be offered prosphora along with water, which should be pre-ordered at the church.
In severe cases, prayer can be strengthened by ordering a magpie for health, which the temple ministers will read for 40 days. Additionally, mom needs to place candles in front of the icons of the Holy Saints and Jesus Christ. If parents do not have the opportunity to leave the patient’s bedside, one of his close relatives (grandmother, grandfather, brother or sister) can go to church.
How many candles are lit in a church?
- First, a candle is placed “for the holiday” at the central lectern. If there are no holiday icons, then go to a revered temple icon.
- Then, if there are relics of a saint in the church, candles are placed near the relics.
- For health.
- For your peace.
You can also light a candle at the icon of a saint with your name or at individual icons if you want to ask for the blessing of the saints for something.
Don't be afraid of church rules. No one will judge you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in church, but don’t distract people from their prayers. It is better to light the candles before the start of the service, so as not to be distracted later and not to disturb other parishioners.
To whom do they light candles for good health?
There are no mandatory rules about where and how many candles believers should place. However, according to established tradition, first of all, a candle is placed on a candlestick near the central icons of the Savior and the Mother of God, or a revered temple icon, then to the relics of a saint, if there are any in the temple, and only then for health or repose. For health, candles are lit for the Savior, the Mother of God, the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, as well as for those saints to whom the Lord gave special grace to heal illnesses.
The most powerful of all the prayers that are read about health is the prayer to Saint Panteleimon. He was born in Nicomedia at the end of the 3rd century. His spiritual mentor was Saint Hermolai. It was he who taught Panteleimon that medicine can only give weak relief to our suffering and mortal nature, and only Christ, the only true Doctor, came to give us salvation - without drugs and without payment. One day, returning home, the young man saw on the road a child who had died from a viper bite. Deciding that the moment had come to test the truth of Ermolai’s promises, he called on the name of Christ, and the child immediately stood up, and the snake died. After some time, a blind man was brought to the senator, who begged Pantoleimon to heal him, since he had previously squandered his entire fortune on other doctors without any benefit. Trusting in Christ, whose power now abided in him, the young man said that he would heal the blind man with the grace of the true Teacher. He crossed the eyes of the blind man, calling on the name of Christ, and he immediately saw not only with his physical, but also with his spiritual eyes, realizing that Christ had healed him.
The Great Martyr Panteleimon healed many people during his life. He was executed by order of Emperor Maximian. The passion-bearer was buried by Christians on the nearby land of the scholastic Adamantium.
Another saint to whom Christians pray for health is the holy martyr Tryphon. From a young age, the Lord gave him the power to cast out demons and heal various diseases. Saint Tryphon became especially famous for expelling a demon from the daughter of the Roman Emperor Gordian. Helping all those suffering, he demanded only one payment - faith in Jesus Christ, by whose grace he healed them. Tryphon was executed by order of Emperor Decius. Before his execution, the holy martyr prayed, thanking God, who strengthened him in his suffering, and asked the Lord for special grace for those who would call on his name for help. Christians buried the holy body of the martyr in the village of Kampsada.
Believers turn to the blessed Matrona of Moscow, asking for health for themselves and their loved ones. Blessed Matrona was born in the village of Sebino, Epifansky district, Tula province. The fact that the girl was chosen by God was evidenced by the fact that at baptism, when the priest lowered the child into the font, those present saw a column of fragrant light smoke above the baby. From the age of seven or eight, Matronushka discovered the gift of prediction and healing the sick. She felt the approach of danger and foresaw natural and social disasters. Through her prayer, people received healing from illnesses and consolation in sorrows. Visitors began to come and visit her. People walked to the hut in which Matronushka lived, carts and carts with sick people from surrounding villages, districts and even provinces. They brought in bedridden patients, whom the girl raised to their feet. Four kilometers from Sebino lived a man whose legs could not walk. Matrona said: “Let him come to me in the morning, crawl. He’ll crawl by three o’clock.” He crawled these four kilometers, and walked away from her on his own feet, healed.
Mother was not strict, she was tolerant of human infirmities, compassionate, warm, sympathetic, always joyful, and never complained about her illnesses and suffering. On May 2, 1952, she died. Even before her death, she said: “Everyone, everyone, come to me and tell me, as if alive, about your sorrows, I will see you, and hear you, and help you.”
There are a great many saints to whom people turn with prayers for health. However, candles for health can be placed near an icon depicting any saint, the main thing is with faith in the heart.
What should parents do to protect their child by God?
The child will be under the protection of the Lord if the parents constantly pray for his health and well-being. From an early age, your son or daughter should be taken with you to church services, introduced to the Orthodox faith, taught to behave appropriately, and in difficult situations to ask the Almighty for help.
It would be a good idea to send your growing child to Sunday School. In addition, other requirements must be met:
- the child must be baptized as early as possible so that from birth he is under the protection of God and his Guardian Angel;
- if the baby is in poor health, he needs to be given communion more often in order to be surrounded by the protection of the Holy Spirit;
- From an early age, a child needs to be taught prayer, with the help of which he can turn to his Guardian Angel: the heavenly protector will protect him from illness, and if he is already sick, then he will speed up recovery;
- a mother needs to pray to the Virgin Mary as often as possible to protect her child from dangers and health problems.
