Festival of St. Lucy, Martyr
Posted on December 13, 2023 by under
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:10-17 (NKJV)
3:10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Devotion
“From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
Today is St. Lucy’s Day (known as St. Lucia in some places). It is believed that she lived A.D. 283–304. She was a virgin from a well-off family in Sicily. She was betrothed to a wealthy young man from a pagan family. When her fiancé found out she did not want to marry him and was giving away her family fortune, he denounced her as a Christian, and she was martyred. “Lucia” is related to the Latin word for light, so her commemoration often involves a girl with a wreath of candles on her head.
In his second letter to St. Timothy, St. Paul writes, “from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” This is really the point of most commemorations of a martyrdom: we have the example of someone who not only knew the Scriptures, but who had been “made wise for salvation” by them, as the Holy Spirit worked through them to create faith in Christ Jesus.
So we remember the saints and martyrs of the past. God grant us grace to be like them, esteeming the treasure of our salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, to far exceed any of the riches or pleasures of this world.
Collect: 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 livest and reignest with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Populus Sion
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Advent
Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; 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.
