“I
am the LORD,
your God, who grasp your right hand; it
is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you."
We
have seen this verse lived out in the saints and martyrs who have gone before
us. Many men and women have
trusted in God in the face of extremely difficult situations including torture
and even death. Yet they were
unafraid, because God was truly with them.
Today
we remember St. Lucy, a young woman who was both a virgin and martyr in the
persecutions of Diocletian. Her
name comes from light and she
demonstrates the light of faith necessary to give her life to God.
There are many legends surrounding her suffering. One account tells of her facing slavery
into prostitution as a punishment for not marrying a pagan man. Yet when the guards came to get Lucy
her body became limp and weighted “as much as a mountain.” Another account says they tried to burn
her, but her flesh could not be harmed.
Her persecutors then plucked out her eyes. Because of this, St. Lucy is the patroness of the blind and
those with impaired vision.
Whether the legends are true or not, the fact is Lucy
gave her life for Jesus.
She shows that even though (compared to God) we are not
much more than worms or maggots we can give all that we are to
God. He became one of us—one of us
worms!—and died for us. We must follow the example of Lucy and
give everything back to Him, trusting that He is with us. We do not need to be afraid.
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