December 13th: Lucia's Day

Today is the feast of St. Lucia, or St. Lucy of Syracuse. It is a national holiday in Sweden, where my wife's paternal family is from, so every year my wife makes these delicious little Lucia buns (click here for a recipe, not my wife's, though...) for family and friends.

I went to the children's Mass this morning and Fr. Jim spoke of St. Lucy in his homily. He also explained that while he normally would wear red on a feast day of a martyr, he was wearing purple because Advent takes precedence over a feast day of a martyr. He went on to explain that when Bishop Gainer celebrated the children's Mass last Friday, he was wearing white because it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which takes precedence over Advent. Once he explained his vestment colors he tied in very nicely St. Lucia's life and martyrdom with the Gospel for the day.

Here's a prayer to St. Lucia I copied from this site:

Saint Lucy, your beautiful name signifies light. By the light of faith which God bestowed upon you, increase and preserve this light in my soul so that I may avoid evil, be zealous in the performance of good works, and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and of sin.

By your intercession with God, obtain for me perfect vision for my bodily eyes and the grace to use them for God's greater honor and glory and the salvation of all men.

Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. Amen.

Have a great day!