Liturgy Alive ST. LUCY, Virgin and Martyr

ST. LUCY, Virgin and Martyr

December 13

Introduction

Saint Lucy (+304), the virgin and martyr from Syracuse in Sicily, is greatly honored in the Roman Church because of her faith and great courage. As the young man who proposed marriage to her was not a Christian, she rejected his marriage proposal. He denounced her to the authorities as a Christian and she was cruelly tortured. Her name means "light." Scandinavian countries celebrate her memory with a feast of light.

Opening Prayer

    Lord our God,
    you let the light of faith shine
    in your young and courageous martyr, St. Lucy.
    On her feast day, we ask you:
    May our faith remain young and fresh,
    strong in the face of contradiction and indifference
    as a treasure never to be abandoned.
    May our faith be like a light
    brightening not only our lives
    but also shining on people around us.
    We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

    Lord our God,
    in these signs of bread and wine,
    we celebrate the death of your Son
    but also his resurrection in glory.
    May the Eucharist give us the strength
    to profess our faith
    not only when it is tested in trials
    but also in the life of every day,
    that we may live fully as we believe.
    We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

    Lord our God,
    let the Word of Jesus be to us a light
    that shows us the way to you and to one another.
    May the body and blood of your Son
    give us the courage to bear witness,
    that we want to live in this light
    every day you give us.
    Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.