“The wee red light
means that God is home”,
Mammy whispered
as she pointed with reverence
at the red sanctuary lamp
away up at the altar.

Brenda, my sister, and I
were fascinated
as our child minds processed
this information.
And between us,
we worked it out –
God, who was in the tabernacle,
must be keeping this wee light lit!
We stared up at the altar,
transfixed,
watching with wonder
this tiny, red, glowing miracle
taking place
right before our very eyes!

Wow!

Then one day
when I was about eight years old,
we called into the chapel
at Dunfaghy, Donegal
to say a wee prayer.
After a while
we left Mammy and Daddy in the chapel
and headed outside
to play.

Running round the back of the chapel
I stopped suddenly
and stared
horrified.
There, lying in a heap,
were dozens of burnt-out
sanctuary lamp candles –
cracked, slightly-blackened
and thrown on the ground
like ordinary rubbish!

In that moment I realised
that it was only a very ordinary candle
that was keeping the sanctuary lamp lit –
not God himself.

I was stunned.

I’m all grown-up now
and much has changed in my life
but the wee red light in the chapel
continues to fascinate me
and draw me in.
And even though I now know
that it’s only a candle
one thing remains unchanged –
the wee red light still means
that God is home.

And that’s good enough for me.

© Claire Murray, 25th May 2019