Lucy is the only (major, canonized) martyr of Advent. Her feast
lands in the middle of the season, which may be a caution to us
believers accustomed to quiet waiting and economic frivolity. At
the heart of waiting and preparation is sacrifice. At the center
of a season’s royal purple is a drop of red blood. Today we are
still a week away from solstice. But because of the drift of the
Julian calendar, late medieval Europe endured December 13th as
the shortest day of the year. It’s still a pretty brief nine
hours of daylight at my latitude. Lucy featured prominently in
our parish’s Advent pageant a few years back. (Lucy is praying
in her room when she hears her mother calling her.) MOTHER:
Lucy! (Lucy finishes praying and comes to her mother and
father.) FATHER: Lucy, we have good news for you. Your mother
and I have found you a husband. You are getting married. LUCY:
Married? But I want to dedicate my life to God and help the
poor. FATHER: But Lucy, we have already made these plans. I have
the dowry for the we