Luminous Being

O gladsome light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Light in the midst of darkness is a brilliant thing. It does not take too much light to dispel the oppression of darkness. Yet, as the light increases, darkness flees all the more. This darkness does because it has no existence in and of itself; it is merely the absence of light. Light, on the other hand, is. And as Jesus is the Light of God coming into the World, He slowly, steadily, and faithfully dispels the darkness.

Throughout the Tradition of the Church we encounter other luminaries, saints who have been ignited by the love of Christ and have carried that light forward wherever they might be. Today, 13 Dec, is the feast of St. Lucy. She was born in the late third century and was martyred for her faith at the young age of twenty because she would not worship the emperor. Being a virgin, she was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel. As the tradition goes, soldiers could not remove her from where she was. So they piled up wood to burn her where she stood. As the fire would not ignite, they resorted to piercing her with the sword.

Why does the Church remember and hold feast days for such tragic stories such as Lucy's? They remind us that we are not alone as we sojourn in this life. We also are meant to draw encouragement from their lives, their faithfulness in the midst of strife and persecution. Yes we draw encouragement from Jesus and we know that He is with us always. We also draw encouragement from the stories of other humans, other shining lights of Christ that dot the landscape of time. You also are one of those luminous beings, burning with the oil of gladness, enlivened by the love of Jesus. Let the light of your life and faith burn brightly, full of truth, compassion, and love.

Grace & Peace