Camino: December 13th
Lucy's history has been lost and all we really know for certain is that this brave woman who lived in Syracuse lost her life during the persecution of Christians in the early fourth century. Her veneration spread to Rome so that by the sixth century the whole Church recognised her courage in defence of the faith. Lucy, whose name can mean "light" or "lucid," is the patron saint of the blind. She is often seen with the emblem of eyes on a cup or plate. In paintings, she is often depicted with a golden plate holding her eyes and often holds a palm branch, which is a symbol of victory over evil. It is traditional in the Nordic countries for young girls to carry candles, even on the heads, in memory of this martyr.
I recall fondly the comedy show, the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ with the talented Dawn French playing the part of an all too human village vicar with a fondness for fine malt and ‘curly whirly’s’. What made the show such a success, in my opinion, was the amazing ensemble cast: among such acting greats as Liz Smith, James Fleet and Emma Chambers. A firm favourite of mine was Trevor Peacock who played the lovable ‘Jim Trott’ who said ‘YES’ when he meant ‘no’ and ‘NO’ when he meant ‘yes’- it led to some great scenes of comic misunderstanding.
Today’s Gospel presents the parable of ‘YES & NO’; Jesus is still speaking to the elders, those who should know how to faithfully follow God, but they have given mixed messages so much so that Jesus affirms, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way on the kingdom of God before you” (Matt 21: 31). Jesus implies that the leaders are the ones who have rejected their covenant relationship with God, while those on the fringes of society, the socially unacceptable are the ones who respond positively to the call of John to repentance.
Today is a call not to be like ‘Jim Trott’ and to say exactly what we mean; today is a call to identify fully with the Gospel and to take it to heart. Today we journey with those sinners to the embrace of a God of forgiveness, as John the Baptist preached. Please do not go through motions of faith today: say a firm and positive ‘YES’ to what is asked of you today; do not procrastinate, rather act with confidence and trust in God and in others.
Today: respond positively to the cry for help from a family member or friend.
We can pray:
We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.
(Mahatma Gandhi)