Wednesday, December 13, 2023

It is the 13th of December 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

A very Happy St. Lucy’s Day to you- if the 13th of December and St. Lucy with the candles in her hair don’t ring a bell, perhaps you are not of Scandinavian origin where the celebration of a Christian martyr rings in the Christmas season.  

There will be, today, across the Scandinavian countries processions with (usually) girls dressed in white with a red sash (white for purity, red as Lucy was a martyr). In the past, she would have a damp handkerchief on her head, followed by a wreath with lingonberries and candles (today, the candles are electric). Homes are filled with the smell of gingerbread and saffron buns shaped like curled-up cats. Boys will dress like star boys or brownies (that’s a spritely mischief maker), and the parents will make sure the house is clean and the silver is polished to reflect the coming light of the candles.

When I read a statement like “All Swedes know the standard Lucia song by heart,” I have to wonder about such a universal claim- but the lyrics and themes are popular, for instance:

The night treads heavily

Around yards and dwellings

IN places unreached by the sun,

The shadows brood

Into our dark house she comes,

Bearing lighted candles

Saint Lucia, St. Lucia.

It was believed that last night- St. Lucy’s Eve was the longest, darkest night of the year. The devils, demons, and witches do their best, but St. Lucy (from the Latin- Lux for light) represents light in the middle of winter and points us toward the coming Christ. Once again, we see this season overflowing with “light in the darkness” imagery, and it makes sense that it would be popular in that part of the world that gets the darkest this time of year.

If I made a list of the five most popular female characters in church history, Lucy- a real woman from the 4th century in Sicily would rank somewhere on that exclusive list. So- who was she? She was one of the virgin martyrs. And on account of this, her story and that of other virgin martyrs are often blended together. The story goes that she was of noble birth but reared in the faith; she wanted to devote herself to God. This meant imitation of the virgin Mary- and reminding unmarried, she- a wealthy woman could use the money for her dowry to give to the poor. This was her intention. But her father had died when she was young, and her mother arranged a marriage to a Roman nobleman. When Lucy refused to marry, the nobleman outed her to the local governor as a Christian. As this was during the reign of Diocletian, this could mean death.

At first, she was to be taken to a brothel to be defiled- but the guards could not move her. Known for her beautiful eyes, they were gouged out. Wood was stacked around her but wouldn’t light. She would eventually succumb to the beatings she received, but her faith impressed others, and some came to faith. She would be revered in her native Sicily and then, likely brought by Viking traders who converted to Scandinavia.

The story about her eyes- either gouged out by authorities or gouged out herself because her suitor liked her eyes and she didn’t want to marry- has stuck such that she is the patron st. of the blind and those with eye disease. In iconography, she can be identified, sometimes easily, as the saint holding her eyeballs in a dish.

These “virgin martyr” stories upended the normal notion that women were for marrying and having children- that their only worth was in that particular activity. Obviously, the connection to Mary is crucial, but we do well to remember these women as rejecting the “normal order of things” in order to glorify God. The use of female saints would have been, for many in the ancient and medieval world, a turning of things on their heads. Who can help us? A young girl- obedient to death on account of her faith in Christ. The story of her supposed relics follows a similar path to other ancient saints- taken from one place to another, stolen, recovered, repeat… and even with the dubious stories that may be attributed or misattributed to her- her popularity in her native Sicily but especially in Scandinavia suggest we take note of her popularity and significance for church history.

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary- a great advent text from the first chapter of Luke:

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 13th of December 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Lucys include the saint, Pevensie, van Pelt, and the Juicy Lucy- Minnesota’s culinary offering to the world- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who enjoyed a number of burgers in Minnesota this past year, but never felt compelled to have one filled with cheese- maybe next time, I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.