Memorial of Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr
(Isaiah 41:13-20; Matthew
11:11-15)
Martyrs are celebrated throughout the year. They are the heroines and heroes of the
Church. But Advent particularly favors
martyrs. After all, they reflect the
hope which characterizes the season. They
hoped for the eternal life Jesus promises as they died in witness to his
Lordship. St. Lucy was an early Sicilian martyr. As with most martyrs of antiquity we know
little about her. She stands out almost
exclusively for the fact of her martyrdom.
In today’s gospel Jesus praises John the Baptist who
suffered a martyr’s death. He calls him the
greatest of the prophets because John announces the coming of the Messiah. Yet he did not know Jesus as the
Messiah. For this reason Jesus says that
anyone who knows himself, the embodiment of God’s Kingdom, is greater than
John. Those who have known him like St. Lucy and all who believe in the gospel
should be ready to die for him.
Is this asking too much of us? To be sure, it is not asking that we seek to
be killed by extremist haters of Christianity.
But it is demanding that we give witness to the Gospel by dying to
ourselves. It means that we always do to
others what we would want them to do to us. It also means that we desist
seeking our own importance, wealth, and pleasure. But it means as well that we find joy in Jesus’
company – one that will last forever.
