Location: Our Lady’s Chapel, Assumption Seminary
Dear brothers and sisters, today, as we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, and reflect on the Advent season, we are reminded of the importance of discernment, steadfastness, and a life centered on Christ.
Pope Francis has said that Saint Lucy (quote)“reminds us by her example that the highest dignity of the human being consists of bearing witness to the truth, following one’s own conscience at all costs, without duality and without compromise. This means staying on the side of the light, serving the light, as her very name ‘Lucy’, ‘she of the light’, evokes. Being clear, transparent people, being sincere, communicating with others in an open, clear, respectful way. In this way one contributes to spreading light in the environments where one lives, making them more humane, more livable” (end of quote).
Saint Lucy’s life is a testament to the courage required to discern God’s will and live it out with conviction. She understood that true light does not come from the fleeting allure of the world, but from anchoring oneself in the unchanging reality of God. Her martyrdom was not just a testament of her love for Christ, but an invitation to us to trust in Him even in the face of trials.
Youth Ministers, you are called to be modern-day beacons of light for young hearts searching for truth in a world that often prioritizes immediacy over meaning, appearances over substance, and half-truths over the fullness of faith. Discernment, as Isaiah reminds us today, requires listening to God who teaches us “for our own good.” It is a life-long journey, but it is in youth that the foundations are laid and some of the most important decisions in life are likely to be made. Help those you serve deepen their relationship with Jesus by anchoring them in the sacraments, God’s Word, prayer, and the guidance of the Church.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges the complacency of His generation, comparing them to children in the marketplace who refuse to engage. How often do we, too, fall into apathy, rejecting both the call to repentance and the invitation to joy? Jesus calls us to be moved – not by the whims of the world, but by the eternal love of God. He has played the flute of mercy and sung the lament of justice. Are we dancing? Are we moved to tears?
The Church offers us a wise method: see, judge, act. Look deeply at the world and at your own heart. Judge with the light of God’s Word, and dare to imagine and act with courage. Change begins with us – by listening, by being vigilant, and by being available to God’s transforming grace.
Saint Lucy’s light continues to shine because she chose Christ over the comforts of her time. Let us, too, with the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe, choose Christ in every moment. In this Advent season, may we open our hearts to His coming and allow His light to shine through us. Believe in the Holy Spirit’s power to transform the world – starting with you.
