2nd Week of Advent, Friday, Dec 13: St. Lucy
Isaiah 48:17-19 / Matthew 11:16-19
I am your God; I will show you the path to follow.
In The Upper Room, David McIntosh tells this story about a dream his uncle had. In the dream, his uncle's four-year-old son had grown up to be a teenager. The boy was walking down a road when, suddenly, he disappeared down a dark path. As he did, he called back, “Daddy, you never showed me the right path to follow." The dream was so vivid that his uncle woke up from a sound sleep. He was so disturbed by the dream that he woke his wife and told her about it. Together they knelt down on the spot and prayed for their young son. They also resolved to teach their son how to walk always in the light of God's Word.
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Do we realize that God often guides others, especially the young, through us? "It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Lk 17:2
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“If you had only paid attention to what I have said,” complains the Lord through the prophet, for God wants our own good. Jesus complains that there are people who behave in a childish way when John the Baptist preaches repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah: they are like girls who refuse to dance when the flute plays joyful tunes or boys who refuse to mourn when people are weeping. The Lord is among us and asks for commitment so that we can lead the world to life and justice and happiness. What is our faith worth, if we do not practice it?
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We are coming to the end of the 2nd Week of Advent and this coming weekend is called "Gaudete Sunday" or "Rejoice" Sunday, and the rose-coloured candle of the Advent wreath will be lit. That means that we have come to somewhere about in the middle of the four weeks of Advent. And it is also a good time to do a check and reflect on where we are in our Advent preparation and what have we done so far.
Most of the Advent period is spent on putting up the decorations like the Christmas tree, the wreath, the Crib and getting presents for our loved ones and friends. If we find a spiritual meaning in doing that, then that is well and good. But Advent is also a time to turn back to the Scriptures and to reflect on the Word of God and how He had fulfilled the promise of salvation.
The period of Advent is to prepare us to re-encounter the Word-made-Flesh, the Emmanuel, God-with-us, the promise of God fulfilled. May we reflect deeply on the Word of God and make it our Word for life. Through the Church, God has already taught us what is good for us. Let us be alert to His commandments and our happiness will flow like the waters of a river at Christmas.
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Opening Prayer
Lord our God, too often we are deaf to your voice and to the presence of your Son among us, his people. Inspire us by your prophets and your Spirit that now is the right moment to change and to commit ourselves to the kind of life and to the justice demanded by the kingdom. Help us to make people see that your Son is alive among us and that he is our Lord forever. Amen
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Saint Lucy
Feast Day December 13
Do you remember the parable of the ten bridesmaids who waited for the bridegroom? Only five of them had brought flasks of oil to keep their oil lamps burning. These were permitted to enter the wedding banquet; the others were not. Lucy, whose name means "light" kept the light of her loyal faith burning through the experience of death. Now she is enjoying the eternal wedding banquet.
Like many of the early martyrs, little is known about Lucy. She was born in Sicily and died during the persecution of Diocletian. The fact that she is still mentioned in the first Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass shows the great respect that the Church has for her.
One story about Lucy is that she is said to have made a vow to remain unmarried. When the man to whom she was engaged found out, he turned her in as a Christian. She was tortured but remained faithful to Jesus Christ.
Lucy’s feast comes during Advent, when we wait for the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. The Scandinavian countries have a special way of celebrating this feast. A young girl is dressed in a white dress and a red sash (as the symbol of martyrdom). She carries palms and wears a crown of candles on her head. In Sweden, girls dressed as Lucy carry rolls and cookies in procession as songs are sung.
A Hungarian custom is to plant wheat in a small pot on St. Lucy’s feast. By Christmas green sprouts appear, signs of life coming from death. This symbolizes Lucy’s new life, an eternal wedding feast, and ours. The wheat is then carried to the manger scene as the symbol of Christ in the Eucharist.
