The candle at Baptism symbolizes that, once being Baptized and cleansed of Original Sin and being incorporated into the Body of Christ, we are to be the Light of Christ; shining His Holy Light onto all people.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
The People of God is marked by characteristics that clearly distinguish it from all other religious, ethnic, political, or cultural groups found in history:
- It is the People of God: God is not the property of any one people. But he acquired a people for himself from those who previously were not a people: "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation."
- One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth, but by being "born anew," a birth "of water and the Spirit," that is, by faith in Christ, and Baptism.
- This People has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the anointed, the Messiah). Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is "the messianic people."
- "The status of this people is that of the dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple."
- "Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us." This is the "new" law of the Holy Spirit.
- Its mission is to be salt of the earth and light of the world. This people is "a most sure seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race."
-Its destiny, finally, "is the Kingdom of God which has been begun by God himself on earth and which must be further extended until it has been brought to perfection by him at the end of time." (CCC 782)
(Bold is mine)
It symbolises Jesus the Light of the world. In baptism, bu receipt of a child (or adult) into the church it symbolises passing from darkness (without Christ) into light (with Christ).
In addition, it is suggested that the candle be lit on special anniversaries (eg of the baptism) as a reminder of the vows and promises made and the event of the baptism itself.
When a child is baptized, the light put on to their candle is drawn from the Easter candle. This signifies that the light of Christ's love can and will overwhelm the power of sin in the soul of the baptized. From the moment of baptism forward, the baptized is new unto God in that they carry with them the supernatural life of Christ. That light, if carried unto death without being extinguished due to mortal sin, allows the baptized to become worth of the gift of salvation.
OR It is not the candle that is the symbol but the light that it gives off. This light represents the Light of Christ. A Knowledge of Christ if you like. Remember the Lords said do not hide your light under a bushel, but let it so shine so that others might see that you are a believer in Christ.
Holy Spirit
What about candles in baptisms? They light the Easter Candle and the smaller Easter candle during a baptism. You get to keep the smaller candle which will be needed during Confirmaiton.
it is considered as symbol of God.
AnswerIt is a symbol of Jesus, the Light of the world, entering into the life of the baptised person. As further symolism, the candle is usually lit from the Paschal Candle - a candle used at Easter to symboolise Jesus the Light of the World at the Resurrection.The candle means light , so we know god is there at that time.
The candle signifies the light of Christ; God presence.
it means nothing
faith
Candles symbolize lighting the way for the Christ child.
The ritual of baptism does not always require candles. John the Baptist and early Christians did not use candles. In most Roman Catholic rites, one candle is often used to represent the parents' responsibility to carry the faith to their child. Other candles used in such services may include those for godparents, family members, and friends. (see related Baptism link)
Literally? No. Figuratively? It's a ritual to symbolize such.
baptism
Baptism is often represented by a scallop shell
Yes I'm sure they are. Children definitely are.
It symbolizes goodness, and the start of a new life.
The four candles typically symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love during the four weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas. Each candle represents a different aspect of the season as a way to prepare for the birth of Jesus.
The candles on the altar symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship.
When the Jews celebrate Hanukkah, they use a menorah, which has eight candles on it. According to tradition, God preserved the little oil that the Maccabees had for eight days. These eight candles symbolize the eight days.
There are seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, to the best of my knowledge, the only one for which candles are NOT called for is Confession. Of course in an emergency, anointing and baptism could be preformed without candles, but I know of no situations in which a wedding would be such an emergency that they couldn't get candles.
It symbolize the cleanliness of the soul or pure.