From our Synod's website and the Treasury of Daily Prayer: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.
The Treasury offers a wonderful prayer for this day, alluding to the tradition that her eyes were put out:
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 without tears and the crown of light and life; through Jesus Christ... (p. 1012)
Also note that St. Lucia day determines when the winter ember days fall: they are always the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after her day. You can read more about them on p. 21 of the Treasury, which gives some good suggestions to help with their observance.
1 comment:
Not having my calendar close at hand to compare dates, I have always understood that the Winter Ember Days are the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete). I presume that this is just another way of saying the same thing.
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