All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle” (St. Francis).
Jesus says to His disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). This is preceded by His testimony about Himself: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
If we apply St. Francis’s words to ourselves, then each of us is like a candle shining in the darkness. No matter what the forces of darkness attempt to do to extinguish this light, they will not succeed, because it is the light of Jesus shining within His disciples. Therefore, it is unquenchable as long as we live in a state of grace.
All attempts to extinguish this light, which is the Lord Himself and which He has brought to us from the beginning, have failed. The Lord brought us the Word of the Father and rose from the dead after His crucifixion. He sent His disciples out to be a light to humanity and to bear witness to this throughout the world.
As Christians, this remains our task even in today’s world: to shine as a light in the darkness of unbelief and to help ensure that many more candles are lit. If not a single candle can be extinguished by the darkness, how much brighter will it be when many candles are burning?
Even if we do not visibly lead many people to faith, we can still be a burning candle in secret, bearing fruit through prayer and love for God and others. God Himself has kindled the light within us. He wishes to shine through us!