Feast of St. Lucy

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Lucy (283-303). The churches both east and west have begun her veneration very early in their history because of her legendary bravery in bearing witness to her faith. Legends of miracles grew around her life. For example, Diocletian had her eyes plucked out, but God restored them. Therefore, we have sacred pictures depicting a virgin martyr holding a dish on which there are two eyeballs. St. Lucy is made the patron saint for the blind. Indeed, her name means 'light'. Giving light to the blind is really meaningful. We Christians are supposed to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Therefore, it is very appropriate to ask St. Lucy to pray for us so that we may bear witness to God's love courageously like her.
We bear witness to God's love in our different stations of life. John the Baptist did it in a dramatic way. He led a life of poverty in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed the advent of the Messiah, preached repentance and baptized the Jews in River Jordan. Before his arrest and martyrdom, he baptized Jesus. He died a true prophet, beheaded by Herod Antipas. His followers were not disbanded and continued to spread. According to Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul found some disciples of the Baptist in Ephesus and baptized them in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:3-4). Probably, the Baptist movement was absorbed into Christianity. They never gained independent existence and did not leave us any written document mentioning their whereabouts. Their status has been defined by others.
Christians found a role suitable for the Baptist --- Elijah who was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Part of the book Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach (aka Ben Sirach), retells the history of Israel. Though the Hebrew version of this book has not been found and therefore Martin Luther did not include it into the canon, the Catholic Church has never questioned its canonicity. In chapter 48, eleven verses are devoted to the story of Elijah (Sirach 48:1-11). They included the miraculous drought, the calling down of fire from heaven, the raising of the dead, the theophany at Mount Horeb, the anointment of a king to inflict punishment as well as a successor prophet and his assumption into heaven in a whirlwind. Then Ben Sirach tells of the future.
you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob (Sirach 48:10).
Indeed, this line is a paraphrase, an interpretation of the last 2 verses of the Old Testament.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse (Malachi 4:5-6, 3:23-24 MT)
Malachi carried out his prophetic mission around 400 years before Christ. He prophesized the coming of Elijah before the Messiah to prepare the hearts of the people so as to avoid being cursed by God. Therefore, 200 years before the birth of Christ, the people continued to understand the coming of Elijah as a calming of the wrath of God. However, they added a new element which was lacking in Malachi --- the restoration of the tribes of Jacob. They were entertaining a nationalistic idea under the Greek Empire. This was understandable especially when the Jews suffered under the process of Hellenization.
Let's come back to the Christian treatment of the Baptist. They could not deny the fact that Jesus was baptized by the Baptist. Therefore, the Baptist was the master of their Master. Naturally, the Christ movement should be led by the Baptist movement. This posed an embarrassing situation for the Christians. However, Jesus offered a utopia which the Baptist movement lacked --- the Kingdom of Heaven. As far as the written records go, Christianity has been more superior than the Baptist movement which did not survive. Christians restored the limited Elijah role to the Baptist according to Malachi, not the expanded one according to Ben Sirach. The mission of the Baptist was seen as a preparatory one, not as a nationalistic liberating one.
And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"
He replied, "Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).
The Baptist could not be a perfect match of Elijah who had worked many miracles. The Baptist did not work even one. God delivered Elijah from the hand of the evil Jezebel but did not save the Baptist from being murdered by Herodias.

My sweet Lord, You have given us St. Lucy, a model martyr. May her prayer help us bear witness to the great love of our Father in heaven. Amen.