St. Lucy, a fourth century woman from Sicily reminds us yet again in this Advent season, when the coldness of winter is encroaching in and the daylight from the sun is fading away, that we Christians cannot lose hope. The name “Lucy” means light. The Swedish tradition on this day is for the eldest daughter of the family to dance into the house while wearing a white dress and a crown of candles. We all await with joyful hope for the coming of the Light of the World, the Son of God to break into our world of sin, enter into our home with the light of joy, and to draw us to the everlasting light of glory in the Kingdom of God. Lord, come and save us and do not delay!
The Gospel today from Matthew 21 depicts Jesus challenging the chief priests, the elders of the people, and all of us regarding who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Who is doing the work of God by reflecting the light of God’s love in this world? Even if we have been tentative to let our light of faith shine brightly on a lamp post or we have hidden our light of encouragement under the bushel baskets of fear and hesitation, now, in this advent season and on this feast of St. Lucy, is the time to let that light shine! Let us proclaim the Gospel of light, life, and joy with our lives! The Jesuit Fr. Alfred Delp wrote from his prison cell in Munich in 1944 reflections that were gathered into the book The Advent of the Heart and expressed, “God does not need great pathos or great works. He needs greatness of hearts. He cannot calculate with zeroes.” Let our hearts burn with the light of God’s love pouring into our world.