SAINT LUCY HELP US!

Saint Lucy, enthroned

There are a few saints that really strike a chord with me. I am usually enamored of the mystics, as that is my temperament. The martyrs get my respect, though! One of today's saints is a popular one in that category.

As a martyr that refused to give up her faith before she was hacked to death, a whole host of stories have been passed down to us. Of course we do not know how much of these tales are legitimate, but they do give us a focus for our prayers.

We can reliably assume that Lucy submitted to torture and death for refusing to deny the faith, because this is what the martyrs typically endured. The details of the stories, such as that she plucked out her own eyes to dissuade a would-be beau from pursuing her, are less reliable, but whether her eyes were removed by her torturers or she did it herself, it is likely that something happened to her eyes during her ordeal at the hands of those who tried to force her to deny her faith. Her eyes were later said to have been miraculously restored to perfect health.

As the patron saint of the blind, Saint Lucy is typically called upon for assistance with all issues of eyesight and blindness. I have age-related macular degeneration, cataracts in both eyes, and a wicked bad case of dry eye - all of which causes poor vision. I have been told that, eventually, I will go blind.

At night, when I find myself squinting at the television, even though it is rather large, a feeling of foreboding comes over me. This is the beginning. Already, I hesitate before driving at night. A lot of my personal projects revolve around preparing my apartment and my habits for the time when I can no longer see.

I think I need to add a prayer to Saint Lucy among my daily devotions. Here is the one I found online:

Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket,

but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see.

We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but

we are still called to let the light of our Christianity

illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage

to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our

relationships, our conversation - every corner of our day.

Amen

God bless us all.

Silver Rose