December 13, 2019
Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent
Isaiah 48:17-19
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4&6
Matthew 11:16-19
St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Gospel Reading
Jesus spoke to the crowds, "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
Reflection
Today we commemorate the feast of St. Lucy who is a Virgin and Martyr. Devotion to her spread rapidly across practically the whole Church and her name is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her disappointed suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian, and she was executed in Syracuse, Sicily, in the year 304 during the Diocletian’s persecution. The oldest archaeological evidence comes from the Greek inscriptions from the catacombs of St. John in Syracuse. Saint Lucy's eyes were extracted out prior to her execution.Though details of her life remain unknown, it is widely known that during her lifetime Christians were persecuted for their faith. They were forced to endure horrific torture and often met painful ends during Diocletian’s reign. Though the details surrounding her death remain only as legends, it is all modern-day Christians can rely on.Lucy, whose name can mean "light" or "lucid," is the patron saint of the blind. She is often seen with the emblem of eyes on a cup or plate. In paintings, she is often depicted with a golden plate holding her eyes and often holds a palm branch, which is a symbol of victory over evil.
Today’s Gospel passage tells us about the attitudes of people who would always try to find out some negative aspects in all that happen around them. Jesus tells that when John the Baptist came as an ascetic and abstainer, people said that he had a demon! But when Jesus showed great fellowship with everyone, even to the tax collectors and other outcastes, people complained about him as the friend of sinners or in another words, a sinner and drunkard! Our world is filled with inauthentic people who usually make very negative comments on others. They even will make a saint into a devil by their jealous and rude judgements. The life of Jesus was a perfect example of expected Messiah who came to save his people from all their sufferings and agonies and announce the acceptable and grace-filled time of salvation. The blessed season of Advent invites us to remove all our reckless judgements and negative interpretations on righteouspeople. Let us receive the liberation and freedom which Jesus brought and get out of the darkness of our sins and selfishness.
Dr. Anto Amarnad CMI
