St Lucy, whose feast day we celebrate today, is a great Advent saint. Tradition passes down that Lucy was tortured during the Diocletian persecutions in the Roman empire in the early 4th century because of identify as a follower of the way of Jesus. She had her eyes removed during this torture, but God remarkably restored her eyesight. Today, Lucy remains the patron saint of the eyes and the blind.
The light of Christ enables us to live a life of faith. On the feast of St Lucy in Scandinavian countries, girls wearing a white dress, symbolizing the purity we have in Christ in our baptism, and a red sash, symbolizing Lucy’s martyrdom. The girls process with a wreath of candles on their head carrying a tray of cookies and sweet rolls for their family and friends. The feast of St Lucy comes near the time of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and a time of great darkness in the world. Thus, the light of St Lucy shows us the light of Christ as we are close to our celebration of Christmas.
We hear from a lot of different prophets and saints during the Advent season to help us prepare for the coming of our Lord. The variety of the prophets and saints that we hear from reflect the richness of our faith and the history of our Church. As we celebrate the feast day of St Lucy today, we hear from the prophet Zephaniah; he spoke out to the people of Judah 6 centuries before the birth of Christ, decrying the injustice and corruption in the society of his day. Zephaniah spoke of the need for conversion, repentance, and renewal. Yet, it is not a message of gloom and doom, but a message of hope, of a remnant who is true and humble to the Lord, who will live out their faith and carry it forward. We hear this message today as we prepare for our Advent reconciliation service here at Holy Savior tomorrow evening, where we will have an opportunity to acknowledge that we have indeed sinned and to ask the Lord for forgiveness with contrite hearts. We give thanks for our Advent prophets and saints who help us and guide us in the season of preparation.
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