Saving wax

There is an old saying, re candles and the like in church worship, that we are saved by grace not by grease. Of course the 'grease' reminds us that it is the Light of the World who saves us and not we ourselves! Anyway, to the point: here is a tip for saving grease, or not having to buy large candles. The other day at a baptism I observed that the Paschal Candle had been brought out for the occasion. But when the priest went to light the candle he reached to the top and pulled off a tiny 'tealight' candle. Having lit the little candle and replaced it, for all the world it looked like the large candle was alight. Neat trick - simpler to light and no wastage on the large, expensive candle!

The baptism, incidentally, was lovely, and the priest made the loving and lovely point that in baptism we acknowledge that our children do not belong to us but to God.