Radiant With Joy

In Scandanavian countries, December 13th is regarded as the shortest day with the longest night, hence the memorial of St. Lucy (from the Latin, Lux, Light) is celebrated with great festivity. A young girl wearing a crown of lighted candles proceeds gingerly into a darkened room where those gathered light their own candles from her crown thus dispelling the darkness of this longest night. Fine foods and drink prepared weeks in advance grace the table for the rest of the celebration.
St. Lucy did exist, living and dying as a virgin and martyr not in these northern countries, but in Syracuse, Sicily in 304 A.D. under the persecution of Diocletian. Her name is listed in the first Eucharistic prayer with other martyrs: Lucy, Agnes, Agatha, Cecilia, Anastasia. She is depicted in art as carrying a platter with her eyes on it, derived from the legend that they were plucked out in the course of her martyrdom, or in another legend, that she plucked them out herself and gave them to her suitor, saying, "You have my eyes, now let me go so that I can behold my true love, Jesus." She is thus the patronness of the blind or those with eye disorders.
Light, darkness, sight, blindness, all images that can be applied to our own inner darkeness and blindness...as exposed in our impatience to have things go "our way", or our stubborness in refusing to turn ourselves increasingly into God's hands. Conversion ,this is called...an on-going, life-long process, that demands attention to choices we make, words that slip from our lips, and attitudes and prejudices that prevent us from seeing the beauty and goodness of others, or allowing them to grow at their own pace. It comes down to admitting and acknowledging that God is in charge, not us, and that God's way, will, plan, call is what we will, is better than any we can devise. St. Lucy, cast aside that darkness that blinds us from seeing the goodness, truth and beauty of God's plan and all of God's creation.
Bro, Rene