Lucy
is one of the martyrs mentioned in the Canon of the Mass, and she is
regarded as the glory of the island of Sicily. A native of Syracuse,
she was the daughter of wealthy Christian parents. Her father died when
she was a child, and her mother, Eutychia, raised her with the utmost
care, teaching her the path of Christian virtue. Lucy so took to the
path of virtue that, wishing to belong to God alone, she vowed her
virginity to Him.
Her mother, unaware of this vow and afflicted with an unrelenting illness, betrothed Lucy to a wealthy young pagan.
As
Eutychia’s illness persisted, they visited the shrine of St. Agatha at
Catania, close to Syracuse. There, St. Agatha, who had been martyred
about fifty years earlier, appeared to Lucy granting her mother’s cure
and predicting that she, Lucy, would be the glory of Syracuse as she,
Agatha, was of Catania.
After this experience, Lucy revealed her plans to her mother and convinced her to distribute their fortune to the poor.
Furious
at this turn of events, Lucy’s fiancé, now certain she was a Christian,
denounced her to Paschasius, the Governor of Syracuse. Lucy was ordered
to offer incense to the idols, but at her refusal, her enemies tried to
take her to a brothel for defilement. This proved impossible as she
became so heavy she could not be moved.
They then tried to burn her, but the flames parted leaving the maiden untouched. She finally met her death by the sword.
She
is portrayed holding a pair of eyes on a platter. Some accounts say
that her eyes were tortured, others that she gouged them out to
discourage her suitor. In any case, she is particularly invoked for
ailments of the eyes, or eyesight problems.
Sunday, December 13, 2020
St. Lucy
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