A Mass of Candles (and a little Beeswax)

As I noted in my entry last year, Candlemas, also known the Feast of the Presentation, is one of the Twelve Great Feasts and is celebrated by Christians world-wide in commemoration of the gospel account of Mary and Joseph’s presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem to complete Mary’s ritual purification forty days after birth in accordance with the Law of Moses.

The tradition of purification following childbirth was something that, unsettlingly to many in our contemporary culture, survived well into the modern era in the Catholic and Anglican practice of churching new mothers forty days after childbirth wherein a blessing is given to mothers and prayers of thanksgiving are offered for the survival of the child, which with higher infant mortality concerns was a major reason to give thanks.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Feast of Candlemas became deeply syncretized with the Irish quarter celebration of Imbolc which, even in modern Ireland, is considered to mark the beginning of Spring and is a festival fundamentally associated with the ancient goddess Bríg or Brigid, who may be fundamentally considered the same as the Christian Saint Brigid of Kildare whose feast occurs traditionally on the first of February. At this point, it’s hard to say which celebration and traditions influenced one another but in practice they have become so fused that to this day many modern Pagans celebrate it as one of their major yearly celebrations however the tradition of setting lights and keeping vigil are maintained.

Western ecclesial practice for this day maintains the tradition of blessing bees-wax candles to be used in church and by members of the community throughout the year. According to some traditions, the candles used by the faithful put to flight the assaults of evil spirits or faeries and have the additional advantage of warding away the harmful effects of storms. The emphasis on beeswax is something that deeply interests me in light of the current ecological disaster facing many beekeepers with the current die-offs as well as being someone who grew up in an agricultural community where bees are essential to daily life. The connection between liminal (cross-between) times, prophesy, and enlightment and the bee is something I find fascinating, in particular as a modern Gnostic.

Throughout the ancient Levant, the bee was believed to be the sacred insect that bridged the natural world to the underworld. Tomb decorations, in particular the Mycenean tholos tombs, were even shaped like bee-hives, likely in reference to the ancient goddess Potnia whose name simply means, “mistress”. Her title and epithets were also inherited by classical and Mycenean Greek and applied to many goddesses, including Kore in her role in the Arcadian mysteries of Eleusis.

The bee was also connected in many of these cultures with the gift of prophesy, elements of which are also apparent 1 Samuel 14:24-30:

“He [Jonathan] extended the staff that was in his hand, and dipped the tip of it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. Then one of the soldiers said, “Your father strictly charged the troops with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food this day.’ And so the troops are faint.” Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land; see how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if today the troops had eaten freely of the spoil taken from their enemies; for now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.”

The Biblical connection between honey and prophesy continues in the account of the prophet John the Baptist who was said to wear clothing of camel hair and feed on locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6) as well in the Apocalypse of John (Rev. 10:9-10)

Although the Romantic notion of a connection between a supposed Jesus Dynasty flourishing in France such as those popularized in the fictional books Holy Blood, Holy Grail and the The DaVinci Code, has been definitively disproven, golden bees (or cicadas!) as a symbol of royalty were discovered in 1653 in Tournai in the tomb of Childeric I, founder in 457 of the Merovingian dynasty and father of Clovis and were resurrected in usage by Emperor Napoleon of France in his coat of arms. Interestingly, as Father Donato+ points out in his speculative essay:

“[A] few days before his imperial coronation, Napoleon met with the Roman Pontiff in secret. This was the social and political backdrop of Dr. Fabré-Palaprat’s discovery of the Lévitikon in Paris that same year. The secretive meeting between Napoleon and the pope took place in Paris, but not as a State visit. During their private talks, the pope reportedly pressed Napoleon to sign a document in which Louis XIV “disavowed the articles of the declaration of the clergy in 1682, which was drawn up by Bishop Jacques Bénigne Bossuet as the foundation of the liberties of the Gallican Church… The pope was asking that Napoleon sign a document repudiating the authority of the French Monarch to his extraordinary authority over the established Catholic Church in France, which was claimed – and never relinquished legally – by Louis’ successors. Here, it is important to recall that after Louis XIV, his nephew, Philippe d’Orleans, served as regent for Louis XV. This Philippe is the Duke of Orleans who was appointed Grand-Master of the Order of the Temple, and reformer of its statutes. In name alone, but still by intention, this made Philippe and his successors the Johannite Patriarchs – privy to the secrets and the succession of St. John and everything that entailed. With a renewed monarchy, such as the one Napoleon was about to create, all of these prerogatives would eventually fall into the imperial lap. And the pope knew it.”

Although speculative, for Johannites this connection between the bee and its relevance to the mysteries of John may prove something fun to think about.

This Saturday Holy Paraclete Community will be celebrating the Vespers service of the Apostolic Johannite Church, a central part of the ceremony being the lighting of the lucernarium. Traditionally, it would be during the vespers service that the candles would be blessed however, in absence of a priest; I plan on distributing candles to the community out of symbolic solidarity.

For me personally, the morning of Candlemas will be spent in contemplative meditation and participation in Teo Bishop’s Solitary Druid Fellowship’s February Cross Quarter liturgy. Though not pagan myself (in spite of what P. Sufenas Virius Lupus may say), the emphasis on ecological awareness and integration as well as spiritual enlightenment and transformation found in modern druidry appeals to me very much and, in honor of the Brigid’s might not be a bad opportunity to help focus on the Sacred Flame within all people and all paths.

 

note: in the original post, I had erroneously called Imbolc and Irish ‘cross-quarter’ celebration. As PSVL notes in the comments: “Imbolc is not a cross-quarter day for the Irish, it’s a quarter-day. The whole notion that Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugnasad, and Samain are “cross-quarter days” comes from Wicca, not from Irish tradition. This is the first day of Spring for the Irish, just as Beltaine is the first of Summer, Lugnasad the first of Autumn, and Samain the first of Winter.”

Fall of Chivalry and the Knights of Columbus

In 1881, Irish-American Catholic priest, Father Michael J. McGivney gathered a group of men from Saint Mary’s parish in New Haven, Connecticut for the formation of a mutual benefit society which would eventually become the Knights of Columbus, one of the largest charitable, fraternal organizations in the world.

During the late 19^th Century, a period of history characterized by the bustling growth of many fraternal organizations such as Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and many similar groups, Roman Catholics were effectively barred from many of these popular fraternal organizations, or, as in the case of Freemasonry, forbidden from joining by the Catholic Church itself under the papal bull In Eminenti Apostolatus which states:

“We command most strictly and in virtue of holy obedience, all the faithful of whatever state, grade, condition, order, dignity or pre-eminence, whether clerical or lay, secular or regular, even those who are entitled to specific and individual mention, that none, under any pretext or for any reason, shall dare or presume to enter, propagate or support these aforesaid societies of Liberi Muratori or Francs Massons, or however else they are called… be enrolled among them, joined to them, be present with them, give power or permission for them to meet elsewhere… to be present or to assist them in any way; but they must stay completely clear of such Societies… under pain of excommunication.”

In this environment of American anti-Catholicism and under the threat of excommunication for those who would seek to join such organizations, the creation of the Knights of Columbus by Father McGivney provided American Catholics a viable, fraternal, alternative in which men could meet and engage in charitable activities without the threat of being separated from their faith as well as provide for the financial and social well-being of members of their community in need.

Although the zenith of fraternal organizations in the United States and North America has effectively subsided, the Knights of Columbus continues to exist as one of the Catholic Church’s primary relief organizations and has expanded throughout the world spreading with it the Knights’ principals of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. It is because of their continued existence that many Catholics and others are able to find housing, have insurance, go through seminary, and even gain employment. It is also because of the Knights of Columbus that some are prevented from optimally participating in the equal rights guaranteed to them under the provisions guaranteed to them under the civil protections of their country, and churches are denied the privilege to legally offer the Sacred Rite of Marriage to their congregants.

In 2008, California Proposition 8, called the California Marriage Protection Act by proponents, was passed, barring same-sex couples in the state of California the constitutional right to marry. In its wake, mass protests took place across the state and across the country by individuals wishing to demonstrate solidarity with those affected by the legislative act. Of the many organizations which donated money to ensure that the rights to marriage would be limited to opposite-sex couples, the Catholic Church through the efforts of the Knights of Columbus was able to donate one million ($1M) dollars to Protect Marriage, the organization which sponsored the initiative that placed Proposition 8 on the ballot and continues to support the measure.

In my own state, the threat that Washington State citizens may be denied their civil liberties is raising its head once again following the 28-21 vote on Wednesday night in favor of Senate Bill 6239, an act relating to providing equal protection for all families in Washington by creating equality in civil marriage which the National Organization for Marriage has promised to fight with the full support of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Diocese of Spokane. Although Washington has historically been considered one of the most non-religious states, the Catholic Church represents the largest religious organization in this state with 1,058,721 members, inclusive of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Diocese of Spokane.

Senate Bill 6239 only affects the civil definition of marriage only while protecting the rights of religious groups which can either affirm or discriminate for or against performing same-sex marriages in their respective congregations. As religious groups, such as the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Church, who oppose this legislation are preparing to raise money to prevent this change of definition of civil marriage in Washington, it is estimated that almost 23,000 people are homeless in Washington State and many thousands more, children and elderly, are uninsured or living in low-income housing with little or no assistance whatsoever. Additionally, there are thousands of children in Washington State who are without families or waiting for adoption. To this end, I call on the Catholic Church in this Washington to consider the gravity of these situations in comparison to the small-percentage of people who will be affected by the passing of SB 6239.

To the Knights of Columbus: you men, young and old, who will be demonstrating and raising money to overturn SB 6239 and who are bound to the principals of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism; consider for a moment that whatever actions you will take in this civil action will reflect on your principals as a chivalric organization. When there are those who are homeless or who are in need, what concrete charitable benefit could you be giving them by raising money that would prevent them from enjoying their basic liberties and access to assistance? What kind of unified society to you seek to create, when individuals you exclude God’s children from it? Are you fulfilling Christ’s teachings of brotherhood yet failing to keep your brothers and sisters as you would yourselves? Are you adhering to patriotism when you would destroy the duly passed measures voted on by your state?

The point at which the Knights of Columbus would sooner raise money to ensure inequality is the point at which they forfeit their chivalry and must acknowledge that their state is equally as fallen into idolatry. Next month, as the Knights of Columbus prepare to celebrate their 130^th anniversary of their incorporation as a benefit society, charitable reports from 2008 and 2009 seem to indicate that more giving has gone to “family life” projects than they did to “community projects.” As an article in the National Catholic Reporter observes:

“On the surface this sounds benign, but “family life” is the Knights’ terminology for predominantly anti-gay initiatives, whereas “community projects” represents soup kitchens and food pantries…  Additionally, in 2009 and 2010, Knights officials contributed $200,000 as noted in annual reports to Vox Clara, the bishops’ committee responsible for turning back the clock on the liturgy and implementing the recent controversial language changes in the Mass. They have been a significant funder of the committee since 2006. Over the same time period, the Knights donated almost $1.2 million to fund the bishops’ newly created committee that works against equal protection for gays and lesbians and dubbed it “charity” in their annual report.”

The Catholic Church, of which the Knights of Columbus are a part, is the largest charitable and humanitarian organization in the world. As a former Roman Catholic, I deeply appreciate and admire everything the church has done that has benefited society even when it was inconvenient for it so to do. While I left over many key theological and philosophical incongruities, I consider myself indelibly marked by the catholic tradition and values which have been impressed upon me. It is my sincere hope that the Church in Washington State immediately remove itself from this particular legislative course which already ensures that its internal structure and values will be unaltered and unmolested, and that the Knights who are so eager to be stewards of lofty values think twice about raising their swords in an unnecessary battle.