13 December was the darkest day of the old Julian calendar. Thus, today in the Gregorian calendar is the feast of St. Lucy, whose name from the Latin for “light”, reminds us who dwell in the still darkening northern hemisphere that our days will soon be getting longer again.
Lucy will usually be depicted in art with a lantern or with her own eyes on a platter. Some accounts have Lucy slain by having her throat thrust through with sword. Other accounts say that to protect her virginity she disfigured herself by cutting her own eyes out and sending them to her suitor, a plot likely to discourage him. St. Lucy is therefore the patroness of sight.
St. Lucy shows up fairly often in Dante’s great Divine Comedy. She is first in the Inferno. It is Lucy who asked Beatrice to help Dante. In Purgatory the eagle that bears Dante upward in a dream is actually Lucy who is bearing him to the gate of Purgatory. Eagles, of course, are “eagle-eyed” and see very well. In the Paradiso she is placed directly across from Adam in the Heaven of the Rose. She can gaze directly at God. It seems that St. Lucy was something of a patroness for Dante and that he was devoted to her because, as we glean from various works, he may have had a problem not just with his eyes but also struggling with sins of the eyes.
This week we also have Ember Days, which in Advent come after the Feast of St. Lucy. Do you remember the little mnemonic poem? “Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy”, or else “”Fasting days and Emberings be / Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie.” Ember Wednesday will be the Missa aurea.
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” Other accounts say that to protect her virginity she disfigured herself by cutting her own eyes out and sending them to her suitor, a plot likely to discourage him.”
I hope that’s not true. I always have an issue with self-mutilation in the lives of any saint.
Magpie: So… do you have a problem with Matthew 18:9 by any chance?
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Hi Father, no, of course not. But the Lord did not mean us literally to gouge out our eyes. It was hyperbole. When saints actually do (if they do) gouge their eyes out or whatever, I can only think such a thing must be against the will of God as that is self-mutilation, which is a sin. If St Lucy had a problem with a suitor, I am sure there would be other things one could do, like move away, or do what I did when I wanted to get rid of a girl who was bothering me at university – I gave her a personal copy of the Bible. She left me alone after that!
I had a friend who was nuts about St. Lucy. He went several times to her shrine in Sicily for the feast day.
On a more serious note, his Italian immigrant father died on St. Lucy’s Day. And I think there was a small statue of her in his casket, if I recall from being at the wake.
Magpie, I don’t think Lucy would have gouged out her eyes had there been another option :) It’s courageous indeed. I can’t remember the name, but there was another saint, a man, who, to avoid a prostitute, while tied down, bit off his tongue and spit it at her as she was being forced upon him. Talk about chutzpah!
Anyone going to Venice should visit her tomb.
Ah! I am a convert (eight years) and took the name Lucy. It was the name of my sponsor, was all-I thought!-and then started seeing her statue everywhere I went and hearing that story. I have never been able to know quite what to make of her, I just associate her with bravery. I am grateful to you Father for pointing out the meaning of her name!
The statue of her that we have at the back of our church has little retinas attached to each eyeball in the cup! mmmbbbrr–it gives me the shivers! I can’t even watch laser eye surgery on TV with out going all jelly in the legs.
Kelly@http://amomforlife-theunconventionalfamily.blogspot.com/
St Lucy is also the patron saint of salesmen (my profession) – though I don’t know why. I wrote about it at my blog today as to reasons why Ivthink so, but if anyone can explain why or link to a site that explains it, it’d be greatly appreciated.
Oh, ick, I had read she was martyred and had her eyes put out and they miraculously grew back. I will stick with my version, thank you. Boy, I’m glad lunch is over.
I remember my Sicilian great-grandmother never ate bread or pasta on St. Lucy’s Day, a tradition she upheld until her death at age 105.
There’s an interesting article at today’s thelocal.se website http://www.thelocal.se/9389/20101213/ that describes the history and celebration of the important traditional Swedish version of this day, still celebrated on December 13 as it has been for centuries (even after the Lutheran ascendency in northern Europe).
If St Lucy had a problem with a suitor, I am sure there would be other things one could do, like move away..
I don’t think 4th century single ladies had that option. They were not independent persons like today. Probably considered property of her father, to be married off to whomever he saw fit.
My granddaughter is named Lucy. One day, I plan to spring for some saffron and make her some Lucia buns.
as someone who’s tried unsuccessfully to start observing ember days for the past year, can someone clear something up for me?
when we say they fall ‘after’ the feast do we mean within that same week, or the following week? i.e., is tomorrow a feast day or the following Wednesday? i suppose the answer to this question would be evident if i knew what the “missa auria” was but, alas, i am still a baby traddie. :)
ellen, do make them. they’re super delicious. and very easy. and if you buy saffron from an indian spice shop it’s not terribly expensive
Lucia is my confirmation name.
TN Cath – how crazy, we have that same tradition!!! I have never known anyone else to do this. We make delicious fried “rice balls” filled with meat for dinner. They look like eyes, white on the ouside, brown in the middle.
Banjo pickin girl – I always heard the same story, I like that one better too :)
So, is the 15th of December the start of the Advent Ember Days this year? Father alluded to it, but I would like it if someone could spell it out directly here. I am new to these Ember Days and would like to fast on these neglected fasting days.
Lucy is my younger daughter’s name. I’m very pleased to have been able to attend and serve Holy Mass on Monday (Lucy was at school so she couldn’t come). On the topic of self-mutilation, my elder daughter took Rose as her confirmation name; there’s another good story on self-mutilation. I think these together (‘though dramatic) drive home the message that inner purity is more important than outer. Once again, we see a question not of what will have the biggest impact, but what is the most important.