Better to light a small candle than curse the darkness

Across the world on each Sunday of the 4 Sundays of Advent, churches light a candle on a wreath to symbolise the increasing light in a dark world. Today, the Second Sunday of Advent we light a second candle which is sometimes known as the Peace candle. There has rarely been a more poignant time than this to light a candle for peace in our troubled world. Additionally I will be lighting another candle to the two on the Advent Wreath as we pray for the world and the peoples of the world. My candle has been used in vigils such as 7/7, the Manchester Arena bombing, throughout Covid, the invasion of Ukraine to name just a few. Today I will light my candle for those held hostage in the underground tunnels of Hamas, for all those traumatised by the pogrom on 7 October that included the most barbaric sexual violence toward women and girls, for all those innocent Palestinians caught up in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, for the people of Ukraine, the grieving mothers, the orphaned children and those that are suffering abuse without a voice to express their hurt or fight their cause.