Festival of St. Lucy, Martyr
Posted on December 13, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 1:57-66 (NKJV)
1:57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
Devotion
On account of St. John the Baptist’s role as the forerunner to the Christ, it is often overlooked to what tribe he belonged. St. Luke pointed this out early in his Gospel when he wrote about the lineage of St. John’s father and mother. His father Zacharias was of the division of Abijah, a division of the high priesthood. His mother, Elizabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron, the high priest. St. John, the forerunner to the Christ, was not only a Levite, but of the high priestly family. This is the person that the Lord God chose to announce the coming of the incarnate Lord Jesus to the lost house of
Israel.
In this St. John the Baptist fulfills the meaning of his name. John means “the grace of God.” The grace of God would proclaim the source of God’s grace. He would point all those who came to him at the Jordan River to be baptized by him to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He would point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. This was supposed to be the function of a priest, to offer up sacrifices as a foreshadowing of the true sacrifice to come. It is the function of pastors to point to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, as the perfect sacrifice for poor, miserable sinners. To this Lamb we cling in faith, even as St. Lucy, who we celebrate today, did to the point of martyrdom.
Prayer: O God, our Savior, hear us, we pray Thee, as we rejoice in the steadfast devotion Thou dost kindle and sustain in the hearts of Thy saints, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Gaudete
Lord, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers, and lighten the darkness of our hearts, by Thy gracious visitation; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
