Feast of Saint Lucy

     Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind. Her name means “light” and comes from the Latin word for “lucid”, which means “full of light, clear and understandable.” Lucy lived in Syracuse, Sicily and brought her mother Eutychia to visit the relics of Saint Agatha in Catania. While there, Eutychia was cured of a bleeding illness. When Lucy came home, she refused to marry a pagan, who exposed her as a Christian. According to one tradition the governor ordered her to be blinded, but God restored her sight. Lucy was then martyred around the year 300.

SAINT LUCY,
     Whose beautiful name
Signifies light, By the light of Faith
Which God bestowed upon you,
Increase and preserve His light in my soul,
So that I may avoid evil,
Be zealous in the performance of good works,
And abhor nothing so much as the blindness
And the darkness of evil and sin.
     Obtain for me,
By your intercession with God,
Perfect vision for my bodily eyes
And the grace to use them
For God’s greater honor and glory
And the salvation of souls.
St. Lucy, Virgin and martyr,
Hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.
Amen.

     Last night JoAnne and I celebrated Reconciliation at Our Lady of the Angels. It was a very beautiful liturgy, shared by the community, in which we acknowledged before God our own weaknesses and asked for his help to change. Speaking to the priest, I realized it was time for me to make a commitment, and I placed everything into the light of God's judgment. I told Jesus I was ready to be his disciple, to give him all that he seeks, to follow in the footsteps of Saint Francis and to live my life for him in the manner of love.
     I sat down, then, in the midst of the Community and waited. It wasn’t long before God came to me and said,
     “I accept.”

     It was December 13, the Feast of Saint Lucy. In our Catholic community we love and honor the Saints. We pray for their help and devote ourselves to imitating their virtues. It’s a way of growing stronger in faith in Jesus, who is King of all Saints. Each one of these honored people showed in some way their devotion to Christ while they lived on earth, and all of them have the common charism of living the Gospel; all of them gave themselves completely to the will of God. I’ve known this tradition all of my life. It doesn’t matter so much when one decides, but it matters to God that one decides. He waits for it, sometimes our entire lifetime, and he honors our choice because we make it freely.
     I make note of the time, place and date of this story because of its sacramental context. Cleansed and absolved of my many sins, wrapped in the loving arms of my community, filled with hope, I made my declaration and I am noting it here with the same feelings of faith, hope and love. My decision is signed and sealed with his own affirmation. On December 13, 2010, I have become a disciple and have embraced Saint Lucy as my patroness. I think it’s wonderful that she was once Sicilian, like JoAnne. And like Saint Lucy, I hope Jesus will use me to bring light into the world. For I am one who, even in love with Christ, have been blind for such a long time…