A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Find today’s readings here.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
’He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
’Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” (Mt 11:18-19)
When looking at the huge variety of saints we have, from early Roman martyrs like St. Lucy, whom we celebrate today, to well-known holy people like St. Francis of Assisi, to modern-day soon-to-be saints like Bl. Carlo Acutis, it becomes clear that there is no one way to follow the teachings of Jesus and spread the Gospel message. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reprimands “this generation” of people, saying that they don’t believe in John the Baptist’s or Jesus’ holy nature because they do not do what is expected of them.
When John was eating locusts and honey in the desert, the people thought he was possessed by a demon—because who would do such a thing? Yet we have many other saints who have followed in John’s path, choosing a life apart from the world in order to pray for it and grow in holiness. It is a difficult life, not meant for most people, yet having these people to pray for the world is vital to the church as a whole.
Jesus came as nearly the opposite: He ate and drank with sinners, living with and among the people, and they called him a glutton and a drunkard. He worked on the Sabbath, ate with unclean hands, touched lepers—everything that a God-fearing Jew such as himself should not have been doing. But his message has been spread far and wide, and the way in which we often spread his message is by the same means.
Not all of us are called to live apart from the world like John the Baptist. But we are all called to spread the Gospel, and that cannot be done by living in a bubble of people who agree with us. Yes, we can share our faith with those who believe in it, but it becomes evangelization when we can talk with those who do not share the same beliefs and pass the good news onto them.
There are countless saints who have lived among sinners just as Jesus did and shared the Gospel. How do we share the Gospel? It does not have to be by reading the Bible aloud to others, or telling them about a random canon law; in fact, it is often more effective to not mention either, and to instead live by example.
Many of us young people who go off to college end up befriending people who either do not practice religion anymore or who are of other faith traditions. At the school I went to and the one I am at for my master’s now, it is generally the former. Spreading the Gospel does not mean forcing people to come to Mass with me, but it does mean showing kindness, charity and gentleness—all the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The way to holiness, the way of spreading the message of Jesus, is not by surrounding oneself with people who already believe—though they are of course great to be friends with, sharing testimonies and struggles with each other—but by living with people who do not yet know the Gospel or have only heard it from people who try to force it upon them. We will not always be successful. But at least we can try, acting as a gentle, reassuring and kind friend to all we meet.
Living with tax collectors and sinners can look as though we participate in the same sins. But as Jesus’ own example, and that of many saints, has shown us, the way into people’s hearts is not through teaching from above and afar, but through experiencing the good and bad together and being a good and wise and gentle friend.
Get to know Jill Rice
What is your favorite Advent/Christmas hymn?
My favorite Advent/Christmas hymn has to be “Night of Silence,” which is sung alongside “Silent Night.” At my grade school, we had an annual Service of Lights in which we sang about 15 Advent songs and candles were lit, starting in complete darkness and ending with all the lights on. One of the hymns we would sing was “Silent Night” and “Night of Silence” (we did a verse of each separately, then for verses two and three, half the choir sang one song and half sang the other).
Are you doing anything special to mark the season of Advent this year?
This year, my parents and close family friends came to visit me in Germany to visit the Christmas markets here. I hadn’t seen them since September, so it has been so lovely to be with them again. They just left, but it has been a wonderful week leading them around, enjoying the Christmas atmosphere, and (of course) drinking lots of mulled wine and buying little Christmas-themed trinkets!
Do you have any seasonal reading or movie recommendations?
It is not very religious, but I want other people to be able to watch “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” the 1974 claymation classic, because it is not available to stream here in Germany. It always reminds me of decorating the Christmas tree with my mom, and the message is very sweet: Anyone can spread Christmas cheer and bring the magic of the season, not just Santa Claus.
