Today
we remember and give thanks for Lucia, Martyr.
One of the victims of the great persecution under the Roman emperor
Diocletian, Lucia met her death at Syracuse on the island of Sicily in the year
A.D. 304, because of her Christian faith. Known for her charity, “Santa Lucia”
(as she is called in Italy) gave away her dowry and remained a virgin until her
execution by the sword. The name Lucia means “light,” and, because of that,
festivals of light commemorating her became popular throughout Europe,
especially in the Scandinavian countries. There her feast day corresponds with
the time of year when there is the least amount of daylight. In artistic
expression she is often portrayed in a white baptismal gown, wearing a wreath
of candles on her head.
Collect
of the Day:
O Almighty God, by whose grace and power Your
holy martyr Lucia triumphed over suffering and remained ever faithful unto
death, grant us, who now remember her with thanksgiving, to be so true in our
witness to You in this world that we may receive with her new eyes and without
tears, the crown of light and life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives
and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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