A lamp illuminating the darkness becomes, for Julio, an image of the light of the Gospel. The sign combines inner vigilance with a request for protection.
Read the symbolism
The entry compares the catacomb lamp with that of the wise virgins. It represents a light maintained by the dignity of life and charity. The text surrounding it asks that outrages be kept away from the person who bears and prays with the sign.
The attributed effects
Julio attributes to it protection against hostilities, slander, and great afflictions. He also associates it with the awakening of intelligence. Other applications, including marriage and military dangers, are mentioned in his entry.
Use according to Julio
The text describes a sign worn with confidence. For certain intentions, Julio adds a prayer on a blessed and consecrated support. He also emphasizes advice, conduct, and inner life: the lamp is not reduced to an isolated formula.
Personal reflection
Think of the lamp as a light to be tended. Personal reflection may lead you to identify what currently illuminates your judgment and what obscures it. Then formulate a request for clarity and perseverance.
The source and variants
The engraving is found in the first volume, p. 566. Its lamp and inscription distinguish it from pantacles composed of a triangle or a monogram.
Abbé Julio, The Secret Book of Great Exorcisms and Blessings, Vincennes, published by the author, 1908. Explanation and application no. 26, pp. 429–430. Practical advice on blessed and consecrated supports: pp. 462–463.
Classic directory numbering: 7 of 44. This numbering differs from the inventory of engravings in the old volumes.
Read the entry in the 1908 edition
Image: historical reproduction distributed by Oracles.ch. The reproduction does not make it possible to identify its edition precisely; it has been retained at its native resolution, without redrawing the characters or artificial enlargement. The text of the entry is based on the 1908 notice.
