In the temple – of course. Is it possible to buy church candles home to light them just like that?
438 September 2020
Orthodoxy teaches that a true believer should pray not only in church, but also at home. But is it possible to use such church attributes as candles in your apartment? Wday.ru asked my father about this.
Orthodoxy divides private, family prayer, on the one hand, and conciliar, church prayer, on the other. Both are very important. If a person goes to church, but at the same time never prays at home, then his spiritual life suffers and is not full. If a person only prays at home and does not go to church, all the more his spiritual life suffers. Congregational prayer has special power and significance. We must therefore do both. One does not replace the other. There should be a private prayer, and a conciliar prayer, pronounced in the temple.
A candle is an expression of our fervor, our prayer. This is such an external symbol. As the light burns at the top of the candle, so does our soul burn during prayer. The candle reminds us that prayer should be fiery. And this is the sacrifice to God. When we buy candles, we pay more than its cost, and these funds go to the maintenance of the temple. Having bought a candle, we can put it in a church or light at home in front of icons. This is perfectly normal, permissible, and good.
When I pray at home with my children and my wife, we often light candles brought from church.
The most important rules that must be followed in this case are fire safety rules. A candle is an open fire that must be taken very seriously. Do not put, for example, a candle under a shelf, which can heat up and catch fire.
The cinder does not belong to consecrated things that cannot be thrown into the trash.
People also wonder if church candles can be used at home not for prayer, but for utilitarian purposes. In case of emergency – for example, if you need to light up a room and there is no other light source, you can. However, if you have other candles or other light sources, use them.
But lighting candles from the church for decoration purposes – in order, for example, to create a mood during a romantic dinner or family evening, is not blessed.