"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” We hear this Gospel proclamation today in the midst of our Advent journey, a message that brings us comfort in the midst of our preparations for the coming of Savior’s birth. We all know people who are burdened with many things in their lives. They are burdened with guilt or anger or resentment, with many things that weigh them down. Yet, Jesus also says that we should take his yoke upon our shoulders. We normally don't see a yoke as comfortable or something we would willingly assume in our lives, as it is what an animal wears to pull a wagon of plow. However, Jesus tells us that his yoke is different, reflecting his humility and meekness of his heart.
It's hard to give up our burdens when we become accustomed to them. It is difficult to shed them and get rid of them. Yet, we need to take the step in releasing them and in assuming Christ’s yoke in our lives. Christ will show us the way, even when this is not easy to do. We can just sit back and complain about the way we see things, about all that is weighing us down. We are called to be proactive during Advent, to continue to develop and grow on our journey of faith.
St Lucy is our Advent saint today. She is a martyr who is specifically mentioned by name in Eucharist Prayer #1 in the mass. She was born to a rich Roman family, but her Christian father died when she was young. Her mother wanted her to marry a rich pagan man to bring stability into their lives. Lucy instead wanted to give away her riches to the poor and commit herself to a chaste, virtuous life of faith. She used to visit the Christians who were in hiding the catacombs, wearing a wreath of candles to give off light through the darkness of the catacombs, bringing food for them to eat. In the country of Sweden, the feast day of St Lucy is a national holiday where a young girl in the family wears a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head, bearing sweet rolls for the family to eat. It is said that Lucy had her eyes removed as part of her punishment before her death, but the Lord miraculously restored them. To this day, Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with problems with their eyesight. May we turn to the Lord for encouragement and hope, for reconciliation and healing. May the Lord continue to lead us on our Advent journey as we get ever closer to our Christmas celebration.
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