The Catholic bulletin., 1915-11-06
THE LAMP IN THE SANCTUARY.

In the beginning a pious custom,
for centuries the sanctuary lamp is
now obligatory. The Roman ritual
states, says the Rev. F. A. Fletcher,
that several lamps, or at least one
lamp, must burn day and night wher-
ever the Blessed Sacrament is re-
served, and moreover, that the lamp
should be fed with olive oil. This
seems exactly in keeping with the
prescription given by God to Moses
with reference to the oil and light
that burned before the ancient taber-
nacle. Command" He said, 'the
Children of Israel that they bring
thee the purest oil of olives, and,
beaten with pestle that lamp may
burn always" (Exod. xvii. 20.)
But why does the Church enact that
several or at least one lamp should
perpetually burn before the Blessed
Sacrament? 1t is because she. wishes
to honor Our Lord. In our public
festivals do we not use an array of
brilliant illuminations? So, too, citi-
zens make use of dazzling lights when
they pay a public tribute to honor the
President, King or Emperor, or those
who respectfully represent them. The
same custom has always prevailed in
sacred history. So does the Church
appropriately wish to honor the King
of Kings by having several or at least
one lamp always burning before Him
in the places where He has chosen to
make His abode and where He de
lights to dwell. This mark of respect
is pleasing to Our Lord. Pope Greg
ory l. relates how one day there was
no oil to supply the lamp in the
Sanctuary of st. Pauls Church al
Rome, but when the sacristan filled
the lamp with water and lighted the
wick, it burned as if it had been sup
piled with oil. st. John Chrysostom
| also affirms that many sick persons
were suddenly cured after being
anointed with the oil taken from the
sanctuary lamp.
The lamp also serves to make
known to the faithful that Christ is
really present in the Church, and the
place or altar where He dweIls, As
the star shone over the lowly crib ot
Bethlehem that the shepherds might
know where the Infant Jesus lay, sc
the light shines before the tabernacle
to point out to the faithful that here
too, is the same Savior Whom they
i oil s,l,o,.IJ nop,n io .,Ioro
Like the other lights in the sane
tuary, the lamp is symbolic of Christ
Who is "the true Light, which Ell
| lighteneth every man that cometl
into the world" It signifies thai
Christ is the Life of the world, thai
He is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life, the unspotted mirror Of Gods
majesty The flame represents the
love with which Christ burns fol
souls, the fire which He came to cas-,
upon the earth and that He wishes
to see enkindled in every human
heart, while the oil is symbolic Of
the sweetness and mercy of Jesus il
the Eucharist. And as the flame con
sumes itself, it recalls the Sacrifice o
Calvary and of the altar, while the
perpetuity of the Sacrifice is repre-
sented by the lamp perpetually light
ing though consuming itself always.
The sanctuary lamp is also sym
bolic of the Church, which in the
darkness of unbelief and of error dis
| closes Christ to the world, and alsl
of it's prayer that day and night con
tinually ascends to the throne of God
| The sanctuary lamp is also silen
monitor that teaches us many lessons
1t tells us that our lives should bt
consumed in the service of God, ant
bids us to love Him, not with osten
tation and display, but in the secre
sanctuary of our hearts. It is re
lated of sanity priest that when hi
saw the lamp he was wont to exclaim
| "Oh, that could participate in the
nature of the oil in order that might
be consumed before the Blessed
Sacrament In these lamps the Fa
thers have seen a symbol of faith, il
the oil a symbol of charity and gooc
works which sustains the life of faith
The interior light of faith is repre-
sented by the splendor of the flame
charity by its heat, and hope by its
movement that always turns toward.
heaven.
| And while the lamp in the sane
tuary is so beautifully expressive o.
the interior dispositions by which VIZ
should be animated before the taber
nacle, it also represents us there un
It'll we return to offer our hearts ant
/ our service to Him who still dwelll
amongst us-the divine Prisoner O
Love.
-e-sap -s,---
How moor a thing is phflosonhv. o.