283-304
Saint Lucy, 283-304
December 13
Saint Lucy lived nearly two thousand years ago. Her name, Lucy, comes from the Latin word “lux” meaning “light.” Because of that, she is often honored as the patron saint of people with eye diseases and those who are blind. We don’t know much about her life for sure except that she was a martyr and died for her faith.
Stories about her say that her mother arranged a marriage for her with a well-to-do man who wasn’t a Christian. Instead of using the money and jewelry he gave her for her wedding, Lucy gave it all to the poor. This made her fiancé so angry he had her arrested for being a Christian and brought before the governor of Syracuse, Sicily.
The Roman magistrate ordered her to make a sacrifice to an image of the emperor. Lucy refused, saying, “If you were to lift my hand to your idol and so make me offer against my will, I would still be guiltless in the sight of the true God, who judges according to the will and knows all things.”
Because of her refusal, she was stabbed to death with a dagger. She died filled with the Holy Spirit and praising God. Even today we remember her as one of seven women mentioned by name during Mass.
Discuss: Saint Jerome gave spiritual guidance to Saint Marcella. Who in your life gives you spiritual guidance?
Activity
Trust Walk
Intrapersonal/Interpersonal
Use the following activity to help the young people understand what it might be like to be blind. Find a good location with some obstacles, but nothing dangerous. Form pairs. Ask one partner to be the navigator (guide), and the other to be blindfolded. When the blindfolded partner is ready, slowly spin the person around a few times so that they do not know which direction they are headed. From this point on, the guide should not touch the partner at all, but rely solely on verbal cues (e.g. “About five steps ahead, there is a branch. Step over it slowly.”)
The guide is solely responsible for his or her partner’s safety. He or she should be navigated to avoid obstacles. In this way, participants learn valuable lessons related to teamwork: the guide learns about the challenge and responsibility of caring for another individual’s well being, while the blindfolded partner learns to trust and rely on another person. Ask participants to reflect and share upon their experiences.
Debrief
To help participants reflect and learn upon their experiences, the following are some good sample questions to ask following the Trust Walk team building activity: