Mtr Margaret Babcock

Dear Friends,

Were you aware that December 13 is the feast of St. Lucy of Syracuse, otherwise known as Santa Lucia?

In Sweden, girls dress up in white, balancing evergreen wreaths with lit (!) candles on their heads to honor this saint. Her name means light, and she is the patron of sight. Beautiful hymns are sung to commemorate her, and tasty treats will celebrate her faithfulness and love of Christ. It’s a festival which warms and cheers people in the coldest part of the year.

Who was Lucy? We don’t have many facts.

She was born around 283 AD and lived in Syracuse, Sicily. Her mother had arranged a marriage for her, but she preferred to give her dowry away and commit her life to serving Christ. The spurned groom turned her in to the authorities during this time when being a Christian was against Roman law. Because she wouldn’t renounce her faith, she was executed in 304 AD.

It’s amazing that this person about whom we know so little is still remembered. I wonder why people still commemorate this shadowy figure who lived so long ago.

Perhaps today’s Bible reading will illuminate:

In today’s Gospel, his disciples invite Jesus to admire the beauty of the Jerusalem temple, one of the world’s great architectural accomplishments of their time. Maybe he will leave a legacy like that! But Jesus isn’t impressed. He tells them, “…there’s not a stone in that building that is not going to end up in a pile of rubble.” (Matthew 24:2, The Message)

As his followers protest, asking what will last then, he clearly tells them—not much. There will be an end—not only to us personally but to the world. Nothing will survive, except love. “Staying with (love)…that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry and you’ll be saved.” (Matthew 24:13, The Message)

I think the great attraction of St. Lucy is that she heard and heeded Jesus. Her short but beautiful life testifies to the lasting power of loving God and the impact such a life can make in the world. The memory of her steadfast love of Christ still lights up the darkest days of the year. That’s not a bad legacy for a young woman who died some 1,700 years ago.

May our legacies, like St. Lucy’s, be built of such Love.

Blessings,

—Mtr Margaret