Today is the feast day of St Lucy, a great Advent saint. St. Lucy, also known as St Lucia in Italy, was a young martyr in Syracuse on the island of Sicily during the Diocletian persecutions in the year 304 AD. As a young woman, she consecrated her life to God and served the poor. The governor of Syracuse ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the emperor’s image, which would have been a false idol contrary to her Catholic faith. When she refused, she was tortured, blinded and killed. It is said that when her body was being prepared for burial it was discovered that her eyes had been miraculously restored. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye-trouble. She is an inspiration to always live unashamed of the gospel and stand strong in our faith no matter how much persecution we face.
Legend has it that St. Lucy delivered wheat and bread to the poor and homebound, and possibly to Christians hiding in the catacombs, often in the darkness of night to avoid detection. She would carry a lamp or wear a crown of candles to light her way. Because of this, the lamp and wreath of candles are symbols of St. Lucy. In Sweden and other countries in Scandinavia, girls dress up as St Lucy on her feast day carrying a lamp or a wreath of candles, bearing special rolls or bread for the family.
In the Gospel today, Jesus expresses disappointment in the way the people do not respond to the call to repentance. When John the Baptist called them to repentance, many condemned him and thought he was crazy. When Jesus calls them to repentance, they question his character. In the Early Church, at the time Matthew’s Gospel was written, perhaps the Evangelist saw the Christians of that era making similar excuses for not repenting.
St Lucy and the other saints give us great examples to follow. May we examine our lives, repenting and transforming our lives based on the Gospel message that we hear.
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