Records from the 15th through 19th centuries tell stories of church leaders in Europe and even America who forced those caught in sin to dress all in white and walk through town carrying a lit candle. The townspeople would mock and taunt the person for his or her sin.
This medieval practice of carrying a penitential candle lost the plot.
You and I carry the weight of the pain and hurt we caused, but it weighs infinitely more than a candle. Perhaps the penitent person wore white to show remorse and to symbolize forgiveness. But what about the candle? What did it signify to them? As the practice continued from century to century, the powers that be replaced the candle with a white rod. The reasons are lost to time.
For us, let the candle we carry in our grief and shame, even amid the comments and faces of others, shine as a symbol of hope.