The Church has honored Saint Lucy as a virgin martyr for almost fifteen hundred years. There is the story where Lucy’s mother was suffering from a terminal disease and all medical help had failed, so Lucy and her mother made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Agatha, a consecrated virgin who had been martyred for the faith about 50 years earlier, seeking a healing miracle.
Mother and daughter spent the night praying by the saint’s tomb, but overcome with weariness from their travels they both fell asleep. Saint Agatha appeared to Lucy and promised her mother’s recovery, but also foretold how Lucy would suffer martyrdom like her.
Lucy’s mother was cured, and distributed the majority of their wealth to the poor and Lucy consecrated herself to Christ.
Like St. Cecilia, St. Agnes, and St. Agatha,we honor St. Lucy as a consecrated virgin. Consecrated virginity was a counter-cultural sign back then, and it continues to be this way today. Our culture worships promiscuity—the virgins teach us of the great joy of purity and chastity, and remind us that happiness is found in embracing Christ.
Where our culture worships physical beauty, the virgins teach us that physical beauty is inferior to spiritual beauty. And that the human soul is made beautiful by imitating Christ, who himself was a virgin consecrated to His Father’s Will.
The virgins remind us that we are not to live for this world alone, and that all of us, whether priests, married, single are to dedicate our entire selves to God. All of our gifts, physical, mental, spiritual, time , talent, and treasure, are to be given back to God for the building up of his kingdom.
Lucy attained a high degree of sanctity in life through her consecration to Christ. She also gave that ultimate witness, the witness of her martyrdom. Her consecration as a virgin enraged a potential suitor who accused her as a Christian before the Roman judge during the persecution of Diocletian. The judge ordered her to offer a pagan sacrifice to the emperor, Lucy courageously refused, and was put to death.
Our Catholic History is full of extraordinarily courageous women, like St. Lucy, who teach us by their grace, their strength, and their love of Christ. Her name, Lucy, in Latin, means "Light" and is regarded as the patron saint of the blind. May she cure us of our spiritual blindnesses and illuminate us in seeking to imitate Christ and spread his Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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