Lucy and Whortleberry Twigs

This past year, we lost our elderly cat Lucy. She’d lived a good long life, despite some self-destructive behaviour and the fact that most days she was dumb as a bag of rocks. In her kittenish youth, she was quite acrobatic and active, though she also once ate a wicker basket.

I miss her.

I am reminded of this because today is the memorial of Saint Lucy, a Sicilian martyr. She was a wealthy young lady of Greek extraction brought up by Christian parents. She was killed during the horrific persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in about 304.

The facts surrounding her martyrdom have accreted so many legends that it’s difficult to be sure exactly what happened.

She was venerated far and wide almost immediately after her death, and she is among the saints mentioned in the Roman Canon.

Two facts are consistent throughout, and appear in the oldest stories.

The first is that her persecutors put out her eyes, hence her odd iconography.

She is almost always depicted holding her eyes, either in her hands or upon a tray.

The second is that they intended to sell her into prostitution, and that she died in defense of her virginity.

Now, virginity is certainly out of fashion these days. This is often the case in complex and urban-based societies throughout history. It is, however, but a fashion.

Christ and His Church call us to virginity first, and then only later to continence in marriage. Virginity is a treasure not to be given up lightly, but only as a gift – the most personal and intimate gift you have – for your bride or bridegroom.

I will readily admit that I scoffed at this idea in much of my pre-Christian youth. Well, I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again; this is but one example among many.

For wisdom on the topic, let us turn to the great Doctor, Saint Ambrose. A passage from his book On Virginity forms part of today’s Office of Readings:

You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendour of soul. More than others you can be compared to the Church. When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment.

This is the person Christ has loved in loving you, the person he has chosen in choosing you. He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive.

Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing. …

Whoever seeks Christ in this way, and finds him, can say: I held him fast, and I will not let him go before I bring him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me.

What is this “house,” this “room,” but the deep and secret places of your heart?

Since Lucy’s name comes from the Latin “lux” meaning “light”, and we are in the deepest of the winter darkness, many lovely traditions have arisen for this day. I think the most beautiful is from Scandinavia.

The rural custom involved the eldest daughter arising early and wearing her Lucy garb of white robe, red sash, and a wire crown covered with whortleberry-twigs with nine lighted candles fastened in it awakens the family, singing “Santa Lucia”, serving them coffee and saffron buns (St. Lucia buns), thus ushering in the Christmas season.

(source)

Happy Saint Lucy’s Day!

May the glorious intercession
of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy
give us new heart, we pray, O Lord,
so that we may celebrate her heavenly birthday
in this present age and so behold things eternal.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.