Katharine C. Black

In Katharine Black's story, she references a divine spirit (or lack thereof) at the end of the chapter.

"Odd that the sanctuary light had blown out. It was always burning showing that there was consecrated host present. It was always burning. That would be nearly a first for the fastidious altar guild of the church."

Though this happens literally, I believe Black means it to be a symbolic absense of God when the character needs Him the most, as something bad is about to happen. How often do we feel like that - a need to give up our control to a higher power when we feel helpless or beyond repair? The light that's always burning is a comfort for many; it is a tangible representation of an intangible power.