JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Today we celebrate yet another young heroine who gave her very life in order to remain faithful to her promise to Our Lord Jesus to devote her life to Him as His virgin spouse. Her mother tried to arrange a marriage for her with a pagan, so Lucy devised a plan to convince her mother that her commitment to Christ was God's Will and preferable to such a marriage.
After several prayers at the tomb of Saint Agatha, Lucy saw the saint in a dream. St. Agatha told Lucy her mother's illness would be cured through faith, which Lucy used to persuade her mother to give the dowry money to the poor and allow her to commit her life to God.
While Lucy and her mother were grateful to God, the rejected bridegroom was deeply angered and betrayed Lucy's faith to the governor Paschasius. The governor attempted to force her into prostitution, but the guards who came to take her away were unable to move her, even after hitching her to a team of oxen. According to later accounts, Lucy warned Paschasius he would be punished. When the governor heard this he ordered the guards to gouge out her eyes. When her body was being prepared for burial, they discovered her eyes had been restored. [see http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=75]
Lucy's name means 'light' and during this time of increasingly shortened and dark days, such light is what our souls long for and are reaching towards as we approach the last week of Advent before Christmas. Various studies have confirmed that light or the absence of illumination can shape our moods and our emotional well-being. When we are ensconced in darkness we more readily experience fear, uncertainty, depression, and confusion. Once one experiences light, one's mood often changes to a more joy-filled, energetic, and lucid frame of mind. Ask anyone who lives in the Arctic regions or Alaska about the winter months, and they will share how difficult it is, as the body just begins to hibernate and slow down. The proclivity is to hide away physically and emotionally until the light returns.
The phenomenon known as the aurora borealis is a perfect example of beauty found when light penetrates the darkness. The bright dancing lights of the aurora are collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. Such a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors enlivens the spirit and the contrast between darkness and light penetrates the soul and calls it to attention. Such stark and dramatic beauty in the midst of darkness jolts the very fibers of our being.
Photo Taken from http://www.boredpanda.com/northern-lights-photography-joni-niemela-finland/
Perhaps this is why the imagery of brilliant light shining in the darkness brings such hope of fulfillment and future possibilities and promises. Indeed, references and contrasts between darkness and light are plentiful in Scripture. The Book of Isaiah tells us, "The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them." [9:2] Aahh. The long-awaited promise of the Messiah is foretold in terms of light penetrating the darkness of humanity. Once the time arrives, it is signaled by a noticeably bring star shining in the cosmos and the glory shining forth from the angels announcing the birth of Our Savior to the shepherds in the field.
St. Matthew's Gospel recounts this story of the Magi who journey by following this star as follows,
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[c] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[d] and have come to worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. [Chapter 1]
Thirty years later, Jesus tells His followers, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) Yet again, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light " [Jn. 12:35-36]
St. Lucy understood the light of truth and devoted her whole self to serving that Truth who is Our Lord. She saw clearly, as the spiritual eyes of her heart were open. Even in the darkness of prison and a seemingly impossible situation, she never stopped being faithful and believing. She became a daughter of Light, as Jesus invites all of us to do. May we have the eyes to see clearly even in the darkness of the world. May we walk towards the Star of Bethlehem in these last days of Advent, with eyes wide open in anticipation. Amen.
4. A STAR. [by St. Therese]
Sometimes, when all the skies are black
With gloomy clouds, and no stars shine,
Our little Jesus grieves alone,
—
He craves your love, yes, yours and mine.
Then give to Him the light He wants,
Be like a bright and shining star;
And let your virtues, like a lamp,
Shed welcoming radiance near and far.
So may your rays lead souls to heaven,
The sinful souls for whom He died.
This Child Divine, our Morning Star,
Asks you to be His star, His bride.
Taken from THE LITTLE DIVINE BEGGAR OF
CHRISTMAS.
