The word “kantili” (oil candle lamp) comes from the Latin candela = wax candle. In the Christian Church the kantili is placed in front of the holy icons. The one that is placed in front of the Crucified Christ, inside the Bema, is always kept lit and that is why it is called “sleepless” Candle. A kantili is also placed in the iconostasis of the house and is lit every day, according to the Orthodox tradition.
This is a habit that maintains its deep Christian symbolism with the Light of Christ that enlightens every human being, warms hope and comforts and accompanies people in the endless hours of loneliness.
The lighting of the kantili carries the symbolism that it is offered as a sacrifice of respect and honor to God and His Saints. It also symbolizes the light of Christ that enlightens every human being, as well as the well-known command of our Lord that we, the Christians, should be the lights of the world.
The olive oil that burns in our kantilia (oil candle lamps) has many interpretations and is related to many passages. The mercy of God was revealed when Noah’s dove returned to the Ark to denote the cessation of the flood, having on its beak an olive branch, or when Jesus, as he was praying extensively, was watering with his sweat the olive tree, under the branches of which he knelt that martyrdom night, on the Mount of Olives. Of course, we all know that infinitely superior to material lighting is the inner, spiritual enlightenment. So, Father Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory the Theologian, wrote: “Let us enlighten the tongue” and his commentator adds: Has this been achieved?
The oil symbolizes God’s infinite mercy; however the kantilia symbolize the Church, which is the transmitter of Divine mercy, and enlightens. Of course, they symbolize the saints themselves, whose light shone, according to the word of the Lord, “before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in Heaven.”
There are many reasons why Orthodox Christians should light the oil candle lamp; to remind us of the need for prayer; to illuminate the space and dispel the darkness where the forces of evil prevail; to remind us that Christ is the only true Light and that faith in Him is Light; to remind us that our life must be bright and that as the oil candle lamp requires our own hand to light, so demands the soul the hand of God, His Grace; to remind us that our will must be destroyed and sacrificed for the love of God etc. Of course, the oil in the oil candle lamps must be olive oil and of the best possible quality. After all, the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives and the church turns into a new garden with the oil candle lamps and to mercy [the words “Εleos” (mercy) in Greek and “Elaio” (olive oil) are homophones]. Their oil reminds us of God’s mercy and their light in our lives, which must be bright and holy.
The display of lights of the temple symbolizes the divine light of God’s presence that enlightens the hearts not only of the newly enlightened but also of all Christians. The Lord revealed this great truth about Himself with the following words: “I Am the Light of the World” (John 8: 12). He is light not only because of His enlightened teaching, but mainly because of His enlightened presence. This is mainly confirmed by His wonderful Transfiguration, where “His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as the light” (Matt. 17: 2).
In the Apostles’ Creed, the Son of God is presented as “Light from Light.” In the Vespers, the hymn writer also presents the Lord as “Joyful Light.” And Christians with the mysteries of the Church and their spiritual struggle can receive the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit and radiate it with their lives.
In his “Sermon on the Mount,” the Lord, counseling His disciples, said: “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in Heaven”(Matthew 5: 14-16). Here it is clear that the light of Christ’s disciples is the good works of their holy spiritual life. The saints in the next life will be like the Lord, they will become “gods by grace”. This is clearly stated by the Lord in His prophetic words: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13: 43).
*The article was originally published in Greek in ikivotos.gr
