13 December 2022 - Tuesday of the 3rd week of Advent - Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13

      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.  

12/13/2016 - Tuesday of the 3rd week of Advent - St Lucy - Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13

     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.  The prophet Zephaniah 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.  He spoke of the need for conversion and repentance and renewal.  Yet, it is not a message of gloom and doom, but rather 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 at our Advent reconciliation service, of acknowledging that we have indeed sinned and asking the Lord for forgiveness with contrite hearts. 

      Today, as we hear from the prophet Zephaniah, we also hear from the Saint of the Day, St Lucy.  Lucy is an important saint from the early Church, a martyr who is specifically mentioned by name in Eucharist Prayer #1 in the mass.  Lucy was born to a rich Roman family.  Her Christian father died when she was young, so her mother wanted her to marry a rich pagan man.  Lucy instead wanted to give away her riches to the poor and to commit herself to living a chaste, virtuous life, committed to the Lord. Lucy 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 and bringing food for them to eat.  In many places in Europe, such as in Sweden, the feast day of St Lucy is an important feast day and national holiday where a young girl in the family will dress in a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head, bearing sweet breads and other treats 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 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 hope and encouragement, for reconciliation and healing, for forgiveness and mercy as we receive Christ in the Eucharist and as we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.   May the Lord continue to lead us on our Advent journey as we get ever closer to our Christmas celebration.