I light my votive candles one by one and they flicker into life within their red glass containers. The room brightens and the icon of Our Lady becomes visible, the flickering light turning the gold into a fire that animates the icon. I cross myself slowly and then kneel down on the hassock before my little altar.
The oratory is quiet with the stillness of night. I sit back on my heels for a period of remembrance before I embark on my night prayer. The Jesus Prayer, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, runs through my mind in rhythm with my breathing. It is a given constant in my life and while my mind recites it I am also free to meditate and remember.
Tonight I will pray for the soul of my Grandfather. I do this annually on the anniversary of his death.
When my period of remembrance is over I open the book on my little altar and take out his photograph and place it under the icon of Our Lady and begin my prayers for his soul.
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Inner Legacy Page 14
