Color : White Wax
Dimensions: 8" height x 2.5" width
What is the depiction of Our Lady of Altagracia on this 8" Catholic devotional candle?
Our Lady of Altagracia, the highest grace, worships the infant Jesus as he lies sleeping in the manger. The blue mantle she wears over her red robe is adorned with stars. She wears a golden crown atop her white veil. Her halo is as luminous as the sun and is surrounded by twelve stars. Saint Joseph stands some distance behind her, venerating Mother and Child with a hand over his heart.
This nativity scene is filled with colorful symbols that can be read by the faithful to deepen our wisdom and understanding. The dark background, illuminated by the stars that led the earliest worshippers to the nativity, is dark, representing the world in sin. Jesus lies poor and naked in his new humanity. He sleeps peacefully, but he will rise. Clothed in the sun and stars, and wearing a triumphal crown, Mary is proclaimed the Queen of Heaven as announced in the Book of Revelation. Her white veil reminds us of her life-long purity. Joseph, her chaste spouse, stands ready to support and assist in any way needed.
According to tradition, this image occurred to a sixteenth-century Dominican merchant's daughter in a dream. She asked her father to find the painting and bring it to her. The perplexed merchant was describing the situation to a group of merchants standing in the street when an old man stopped to give him a rolled piece of cloth. It turned out to be exactly what his daughter had described.
The painting vanished from the merchant's home three times, each time reappearing in an orange grove. The merchant took this to mean that the painting belonged to all Dominicans. A temple was built on the site of the orange grove so that the image could be displayed in public. Pilgrims who go to the Basilica in Higuey where Our Lady of Altagracia is housed make devout promises to the Holy Virgin and offer gratitude as well as ask favors and miracles. Many venerate replicas of the image in their homes as well, as encouraged by the Bishop of San Juan de la Manguana in the Dominican Republic.
Prayer on the Candle: Oh, Divine Mother of Wisdom and mother of God, through this prayer, I, your humble son, bow before you and beseech your grace. I ask for your grace upon this earth and also upon this repentant sinner. Please give me patience to tolerate the labors and the passions of this life, until the blessed day in which I will be able to see you, with your son Jesus, in glory. Amen.
Warning: Burn candle within sight. Keep away from things that can catch fire. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Only burn on a heat resistant surface. Stop burning when 1/4" wax remains. Trim wick to 1/4" each time candle is lit.