St. Lucy

St. Lucy relic, photo courtesy Kurt Keidl, OFS

St. Lucy relic, photo courtesy of Kurt Keidl, OFS

I work with a beautiful young woman who is always energetic and enthusiastic.  In the past year since she began working in my office I have only ever known her to be upbeat and positive, forever smiling and laughing, even about her mistakes...even about my mistakes.  She is a joy!

Late last fall she was suffering from a lot of headaches, and, thinking it was from her contact lenses, went to the eye doctor and was told that she had a detached retina and needed immediate surgery.  She was out of work for six weeks during which time she had to lay down face down in a special chair the entire time.  Can you imagine laying face down, unable to move, for six weeks?

When she came back to work she was right back to her cheerful self without a single complaint about what she had been through.  She still had many follow-up doctor appointments to attend and last month at one of her appointments she was told that she might need a surgery on the other eye and that it was likely that she could never have children because the strain of pushing a baby during childbirth could permanently damage her vision.  She's newly married and she and her husband have just purchased their first house so the hope of starting a family is something that she has been looking forward to.

When she shared this news with us at work it was the first time that I saw her visibly upset about all that she was going through and she asked me to pray for her.  I told her that I would pray to St. Lucy, the patron saint of eye troubles, and I shared the story of St. Lucy and a novena prayer with her and another co-worker, and we all agreed to pray it together even though neither of my co-workers are Catholic.  We began the prayer immediately.

The next morning she was to have a follow-up doctor appointment where she would learn more about the next eye surgery.  While she was at the appointment, I decided to share the novena with the rest of my co-workers (there are only 12 of us.)  I wasn't sure how it would go since only a few of my co-workers are Catholics and I don't really know how everyone else feels about prayer and God.  But I did know that most of them are devout Christians and also that everyone is very fond of our friend with the eye ailment and would like to see her suffering end.  So I took a big breath, whispered a silent prayer to St. Lucy, and shared copies of the novena prayer with everyone in my office, asking them to pray with me.  I was met with great interest in St. Lucy and  overwhelming support for the prayer.

I had just finished sharing the St. Lucy novena with everyone when our friend came in from her doctor appointment and announced that she was perfectly fine, that the only surgery she might need in the future would be for possible cataracts.  And, she further shared with us the great news that her doctor told her that she could go ahead and have children and resume all of her old activities.

It was a miracle, I'm sure!  Our girl St. Lucy is one powerful saint!  Thanks be to God!

St. Lucy's incorruptible body, photo courtesy of Kurt Keidl, OFS

St. Lucy's incorruptible body, photo courtesy of Kurt Keidl, OFS

Prayer to Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy,

Whose beautiful name signifies 'LIGHT'

by the light of faith which God bestowed upon you

increase and preserve His light in my soul

so that I may avoid evil,

Be zealous in the performance of good works

and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and

the darkness of evil and sin.

Obtain for me, by your intercession with God

Perfect vision for my bodily eyes

and the grace to use them for God’s greater honour and glory

and the salvation of souls.

St. Lucy, virgin and martyr

hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.

Amen.

Visit this link for the story of St. Lucy's life.