“Ash Week” continues with an intriguing match up between two martyrs, Lucy and John the Baptist. It’s a tough choice but please don’t lose your head over the decision. The winner will get ahead and make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. The loser will be metaphorically re-martyred. See, Lent Madness is easy: we present all of our choices to you on a silver platter.
In the very first match up of Lent Madness 2013, Jonathan Daniels soundly defeated Macrina the Younger to advance to the next round. We’re pleased to report that voting was very heavy with over 4,500 votes cast. And if you’re new to Lent Madness, make sure to check out the comment stream throughout the day and perhaps even leave one of your own. It’s fascinating and informative to hear why people are voting a certain way and many share their own personal experiences with a particular saint. In other words, you’re now part of a true online community of people seeking inspiration during Lent from an amazing and diverse group of spiritual heroes.
Can’t get enough of Lent Madness? You’re in luck because tomorrow is the one and only day in Lent that we’ll have a weekend vote. The anticipated Battle of the Iggys — Ignatius of Antioch vs. Ignatius of Loyola — will take place on Saturday. In the meantime, keep spreading the word about Lent Madness! Share links with your friends of all denominations, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or walk around your neighborhood with a homemade Lent Madness sandwich board.
Lucy
Not much is actually known about St. Lucy (Santa Lucia in Italian) other than that she was born into a wealthy family in Syracuse (Italy) in the late Third Century and was martyred while still a young woman in the Diocletian persecution in 303.
Tradition has it, however, that Lucy, like many young women of her day, wished to remain a virgin rather than marry the pagan to whom her parents betrothed her. After Lucy’s prayers of intercession healed her mother of a debilitating illness, her mother granted Lucy’s fervent wish to remain unmarried and instead distribute her dowry to the poor in Syracuse. The erstwhile fiancé, however, was not a fan of this distribution plan and in his rage at her rejection of him denounced Lucy to the Roman Governor as a Christian. She was first taken to a brothel so that she might be forced to surrender her virginity, but the guards who came for her found her too heavy to move even when hitched to a team of oxen, so filled was she with the Holy Spirit. Still, she was imprisoned, tortured, and finally killed when she did not renounce her dedication to Christ and affirm allegiance to the Emperor.
Sometimes Lucy is depicted as holding a platter with a pair of eyes upon it. The story goes that Lucy’s eyes were either plucked out by her torturers or plucked out by Lucy herself in repudiation of her fiancé, who found Lucy’s eyes appealing. Some versions of the story have God restoring her sight with even more beautiful eyes. At any rate, she is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye diseases.
Her name means “light” and her feast day is celebrated by families in Northern Europe by dressing the eldest daughter in a white robe and placing a wreath with lighted candles on her head. Sometimes a village’s “Lucy” carries bread and coffee to all the homes in the village as a re-enactment of Lucy’s kindness to the poor in the distribution of her dowry. Her feast day is a day of special devotion in her native Italy, as well, where the emphasis is on food, particularly hot chocolate with grains of wheat (to represent her eyes) in it.
Lucy was a much venerated, very popular saint in the early Church, and her name is included, along with only six other women, in both the Roman and Ambrosian Canons of the Mass.
Collect for Lucy
Saint Lucy, your beautiful name signifies light. By the light of faith which God bestowed upon you, increase and preserve this 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 of sin. By your intercession with God, obtain for me perfect vision for my bodily eyes and the grace to use them for God’s greater honor and glory and the salvation of all men. Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. Amen.
John the Baptist
He’s one of the reasons more Episcopal Churches are named St. John than any other name.
John the Baptist (not to be confused with John the disciple or John the Divine, author of Revelation – yes, like today there were lots of Johns back then…) was the son of a priest in the Temple – Zachary. His mother was Elizabeth, who was related to Mary, Jesus’ mother. Thus, John the Baptist was related to Jesus, perhaps his cousin. Many people believe John the Baptist was born in Ain-Karim, which is southwest of Jerusalem. This followed an apparition in which the angel Gabriel told Zachary and his wife that they would have a child, even though Elizabeth was past child-bearing years.
Many scholars believe John lived in the desert, perhaps as a hermit. He may have been affiliated with a group known as the Essenes, whose communal life was chronicled in the Dead Sea Scrolls. This pietistic, separatist group had removed itself from the evils of the big city, Jerusalem, in order to practice the Jewish faith with greater purity in a desolate, desert environment. We find expressions of this in John’s later preaching of repentance.
John’s public ministry started when he was around 30-years-old. The Gospels tell us that John preached a harsh message, calling his hearers a ‘brood of vipers’ and imploring them to repent and start anew. John also understood his role to pave the way for Jesus, declaring he was not worthy to untie the sandals from the Messiah’s feet. John would go on to baptize Jesus in the River Jordan. During this event a dove came down from heaven and the voice of God was heard announcing that Jesus was God’s son.
Following his ministry of baptism, John remained critical of those who did not fear God. He was eventually imprisoned by Herod for correctly accusing the leader of taking his brother’s wife. During his incarceration, John began to have doubts, at one point sending some of his followers to Jesus to confirm he was really the Messiah.
John was needlessly executed after a young dancer named Salome so impressed Herod with her performance that he promised her anything – and, at the urging of her mother, she chose John the Baptist’s head to be served on a platter.
John inspired many of his followers to trust Christ when he designated Him “the Lamb of God.” Some of those followers were Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John’s preaching. John is described in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his death is August 29th.
Collect for John the Baptist
Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Vote!
UDPATE: The Supreme Executive Committee has found several instances of voting irregularity in this poll. At this point, three addresses have been cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness. We have adjusted the vote totals by removing 35 votes for John the Baptist. Remember: in Lent Madness, we encourage you to mobilize your friends to vote. But we frown mightily on those who vote more than once.
Lucy vs. John the Baptist
- Lucy (52%, 2,693 Votes)
- John the Baptist (49%, 2,537 Votes)
Total Voters: 5,224
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2 Martyrs! I guess that eliminates the martyr vs non-martyr issue. Went with John since the info on Lucy is just too sketchy
I agree with Paul. Much as I love the candle headdresses, the info on Lucy is too sketchy for me.
Sketchy or not (and what isn’t just a bit on the sketchy side, when those who witnessed the acts of said saint died centuries earlier??), Lucy’s story is VERY compelling.
Sketchy, but I voted for the heavyweight underdog
groan
Had to go for John the Baptist–he’s a really heavy-hitter. I also have always thought it rather sobering that the church considers him important enough to have a feast for his birthday-into-mortal-life as well as the traditional feast for his birthday-into-immortality, like most saints.
Will “Big Poutine” or “Big Trout” show up? Who knows
http://youtu.be/qXqfhbsQShM
bwahahhaaa! Beautiful! Cranmer and Chrysostom are the perfect commentators.
Underdog! Lucy in the sky with diamonds!
Hear! Hear!John the B gets all the air time. It’s time Lucy get the acknowledgment for her simple and powerful faith.
Having once been called “Lucy” for the song, I too have no choice in whom I vote for!
I’m assuming Maple Anglican, being a Canadian, would know about the influence of Big Poutine. “I remember.”
Lent starts with the words of JTB. How could we note vote for him?
I went with Lucy to see what celebrity blogger Penny Nash can reveal if Lucy makes it to the Saintly Sixteen. And, besides, anyone who is “heavy with the Holy Spirit” deserves a heavy voter turnout in her favor.
In celebration of the FDA’s approval of a “bionic eye” procedure for the blind, I say we celebrate by lifting up St. Lucy! Check out this story on the New York Times site about a device that is giving sight to the blind: http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/02/14/science/100000002039719/the-fda-approves-a-bionic-eye.html.
Also, I think John the Baptist’s preaching style could use some work….
oh, this helped me decide. I love John the Baptist, but will definitely vote for Lucy because of the advances with the bionic eye.
Lots of disembodied body parts today. A head on a platter vs eyes on a platter. Hmmm.
I had the same thought, Laurie…way to early for those pictures!
I watched The Walking Dead for Ash Wednesday sermon inspiration. The Lent Madness crew expects this type of theological thinking from me. May be how I got the job.
It’s almost unfair to poor Lucy, whose story, while inspiring, cannot compare to being related to Jesus! The Baptist gets major points for speaking truth to power, not an easy thing to do. Lucy gets major points for bucking a system which would have seen her talents gone to waste. But in the end, it’s the Baptist by….a head.
By a HEAD ! groan….
I think that this is a tough one. A patron saint of the blind is worth consideration and I can hear John’s voice in Strauss’ Salome. I am glad that voting for one does not “demote’ the other
Lucy! Anyone who serves eyeballs is a tough act to follow.
I’ve gotta go with the child of my namesake, Elizabeth. St Elizabeth, BTW, is often credited as being the very first Christian. Maybe she needs a spot on next year’s bracket….
Can we get a side bet on Lucy v Agatha?
With my husband, our son and a grandson named John, I have no other choice!
Had to go with the clear underdog here, Lucy. While John the Baptist was clearly given a monumental task of preparing the way for Jesus, there’s just something out Lucy’s dedication to God that won my heart. This is definitely another tough one!
Considering my name, it’s probably easy to guess who gets my vote today. Although I admit that, like Mr. Thomas, it would be interesting to see what C.B. Penny Nash could produce for a second-round essay on Lucy. But while Lucy may have been heavy (as well as my sister — give a shout out here to The Hollies!) JtB was, and is, a stalwart who lost his head for the Lord. Pun intended, of course!
I read the bit about girls dressed as Lucy passing out food representative of eyes, looked down at my plate of eggs, sunny side up, and nearly decided I was done eating. Plus Salome is one fantastic opera, so I had to go with John.
Salome really is one fantastic opera. And I get to fulfill a lifelong dream this fall and actually play it (I’m the rehearsal pianist)! So I had to go with John too. Partly in gratitude for that answered prayer – but also because he gives the otherwise quiet season of Advent a serious injection of excitement!
I voted for John the Baptist, who according to the Gosple of Luke was among the first witnesses to the Light. Even while in his mother’s womb, he knew his savior was near and at the sound of Mary’s voice, he leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb!
Lucy, except for the eyeballs bit, has fostered a sweet tradition for the Advent season, however, I feel compelled to vote for that wild man, John.
Have to go with JtheB here…after all he’s got a great fight song: “On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry…”! Here’s hoping those who voted for St. Lucy don’t cry their eyes out in defeat.
The eyes have it. I voted for Lucy in honor of Peanuts and because I am blind in one eye.
That confirms it for me: my parents called each other Lucy and Charlie Brown. So in honor of my smart, funny, stubborn, independent, and faith-filled mom Mary Ellen, aka Lucy, I vote for she who shall not be moved!
I too voted for Lucy, as I look forward to learning more about the traditions, miracles, etc. attributed to her. John the Baptist… well, not that he wasn’t important and all, but I’ve only ever heard one sermon about St. Lucy. No, it wasn’t at a St. John’s!
Having lived in Brooklyn and attending a wedding at a wonderfully baroque church near the BQE ib Carroll Gardens, I was fascinated by the statue of Lucy with her eyeballs on a tray…and a perfectly good set in her sockets. After my marriage to a Scandi, I learned of their devotion to lucy and celebration of her special day. Marrying into a Lutheran family pointed to the religious meaning of sharing coffee and homemade pastries. I went with Lucy…I’d rather have cinnamon buns than dried locuts.
John because there’s more evidence he actually existed.
I would vote for Lucy over anyone except John the Baptist.
In school, the sisters told us that Lucy gouged out her eyes so she wouldn’t be tempted to pride by seeing her own beauty. I remember thinking “I’m glad I’m not pretty.” #raisedbynuns
Much as I love Lucy, John is irresistible
I had to go with Lucy. Girlfriend DID NOT want to do deed with PaganMan and she held it together long enough to be victorious (altho it cost her).
What about Big Bad John? Well first, in the illustrated original Greek translation of the NIV, John looks more like a Jewish Grizzly Adams than Boy Band Smiley Man above. And besides, John seems to have been rude.
A wise man once said, “I hate rude behavior in a man. I won’t tolerate it.”
Hence my vote for St. Lucia.
This was a hard one. Both martyred, they framed Jesus’ ministry, one paving the way, one obeying a principal command to “give up all you have to the poor and follow me.” I voted for John because many of his followers became disciples, and in a sense, the first church, igniting a 2000 year tradition.
Ditto! This is certainly a tough match-up. But, these thoughts were also my inspiraton for voting for John—except for the first church part…that hadn’t entered my mind, although an excellent idea. Mr. Clemens and I must be in the right, since we both came to such similar conclusions.
I always root for the underdog, Go Lucy!
In honor of women throughout the world who still suffer because of their inability to own their own power, I voted for Lucy for standing her ground and for the light that her spirit must still share. It’s a tough debate, but it’s Lucy for me.
I agree with Allison here! Women continue to suffer because of the power establishment and Lucy is a fabulous emblem of winning (though at quite a cost!) over that establishment. John the Baptist is a grumpy guywho ate way too many bugs.
Lucy, of course. She’s out-of-sight.
double groan
Have to go with the first feminist, miracle worker, liberation theologian, Lucy! Go Lucy!!!!
Lucy! Lucy! Lucy! You had me at “the guards who came for her found her too heavy to move even when hitched to a team of oxen, so filled was she with the Holy Spirit.” Nice to know I’m not overweight, I’m filled with the Holy Spirit.
I voted for Lucy. Plucked out her own eyes; now that’s dedication.
While I’m not a huge fan of virginity, I can’t help but love Lucy! Strong, determined, and the underdog. She gets my vote.
Penny Nash works at my church! But I had to go with John. My bracket depends on it. And you can’t really do anything more Christian than baptising Jesus Christ.
Lucy grabs me with the quirky factor, but John still comes out ahead for me.
Lucy all the way.
Have to go with Lucy, because, “The least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than [John].”
Lucy…Lucia…Light…a wreath of lighted candles on the oldest daughter’s head…hmmm. It gives new meaning to “light from above.” Eyeball plucking, brothel, virginity, forced: sometimes the saints’ stories seem to push their piety aside and the stories become the focus. But not John the Baptizer! We look at him and see Elijah (recall), his dear old mother, his famous cousin, camel’s hair and honey, and baptism…ok, and an unfortunate end by a headstrong girl. Quick—think of John the Baptizer…Yes–you see him with Jesus in a river— right? Quick—think of Lucy…Yes–you see Olduvai Gorge…no, wait…you see a young girl in a white dress with her hair on fire unable to put it out quickly because she has all this bread and coffee in her hands. John gets the vote.
Here is John Donne poem about Lucy.. take that John the Baptist 🙂
Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s,
Lucy’s, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks;
The sun is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;
The world’s whole sap is sunk;
The general balm th’ hydroptic earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the bed’s feet, life is shrunk,
Dead and interr’d; yet all these seem to laugh,
Compar’d with me, who am their epitaph.
Study me then, you who shall lovers be
At the next world, that is, at the next spring;
For I am every dead thing,
In whom Love wrought new alchemy.
For his art did express
A quintessence even from nothingness,
From dull privations, and lean emptiness;
He ruin’d me, and I am re-begot
Of absence, darkness, death: things which are not.
All others, from all things, draw all that’s good,
Life, soul, form, spirit, whence they being have;
I, by Love’s limbec, am the grave
Of all that’s nothing. Oft a flood
Have we two wept, and so
Drown’d the whole world, us two; oft did we grow
To be two chaoses, when we did show
Care to aught else; and often absences
Withdrew our souls, and made us carcasses.
But I am by her death (which word wrongs her)
Of the first nothing the elixir grown;
Were I a man, that I were one
I needs must know; I should prefer,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; all, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were,
As shadow, a light and body must be here.
But I am none; nor will my sun renew.
You lovers, for whose sake the lesser sun
At this time to the Goat is run
To fetch new lust, and give it you,
Enjoy your summer all;
Since she enjoys her long night’s festival,
Let me prepare towards her, and let me call
This hour her vigil, and her eve, since this
Both the year’s, and the day’s deep midnight is.
Well-played, but at best it’s a draw since the altarpiece Hans Memling painted for Donne contains an image of John the Baptist (Donne’s name-saint, no less), but Lucy is nowhere to be found: http://www.wga.hu/tours/flemish/memling/index.html.
Sorry, but Memling’s Donne is not the Dean of St. Pauls.
So I expect your vote for Donne when the time comes?
Lucy’s got a good story, but one of my favorite attributes about John comes from an Advent sermon I heard about him being the most uncommercializable figure in the NT, and that’s a winner as far as I’m concerned. The profile pics in the bios prove it — even carrying her eyes in her hand, Lucy looks great in a Glamour Shot, whereas JtheB shouldn’t even try.
Lucy’s Feast Day is one of the shortest days of the year, while John’s is one of the longest! Obviously he is more worthy of moving on to the next round!
Jesus called him the greatest of the prophets. ‘Nuff said…
On TUESDAY the 12th my husband received a cornea
transplant Guess where my vote went
Thankyou for reminding me of St LUCIA
had to go with Lucy, as great as John was he was selected by God for his ministry, Lucy selected her’s. She saw wealth as a burden when so many around her went hungry. God bless Lucy.
Thank you, hg. I couldn’t put my finger on why I should give my vote to a struggling teenage girl over someone who was doing God-inspired somersaults in utero, but you nailed it.
John the Baptist! I really wish all those “hooting and hollering” TV ministers would learn a little bit out John’s preaching. John the B would give those Bible pushers a run for their money!
At first I was eyeing St. John the Baptist, but I can see now that Lucy is a woman with a good head on her shoulders.
While John the Baptist is such a momentous figure in Biblical history, and certainly is deserving of consideration, my vote is for Lucy, a woman of deep commitment and personal virtue. While legends and tradition possibly add details about her, the bringing of Light, (I am Scandinavian so light is important to me during the winter’s darkness until spring returns.) is of great importance during this Lent because one of my disciplines is seeking what the light shows both within me to change and to celebrate about God’s love working in my faith and service to others.
Nice that Lucy was good to the poor, nice that she inspired a fun tradition complete with ghoulish foods. But as a major saint John the B’s got this hands down. Or should that be heads down? 🙂
Lucy is my girl! Those of us with weight issues need to stick together.
John the Baptist can stick with his honey and locust. I think being filled with the Holy Spirit tips the scales. lol
I voted for John the Baptist. I like that he spoke truth to power, and that he suffered from doubts.
My grandmother and great-grandmother were Lucys. I even got to be St. Lucia once with a wreath of candles on my head [fearfully!]. She was a brave girl to lose her life for her faith. I voted for Lucy.
Much as I love Lucy and the traditions associated with her commemoration in No. Europe, I’m going with John the Baptist, in honor of the fresco at Saint Mary’s, Beaver Creek, NC — apparently a crack in the plaster appeared overnight…along his neckline!
BTW, if you’ve never seen the frescos at Beaver Creek (and Glendale Springs), the one opposite JtB depicting Mary, Great with Child is fairly astonishing…Go John, Advent saint!
The most important question today and perhaps for the rest of your life (or at least until this year’s LM is over) is HWJV? Of course Jesus would vote for his cousin and the one who baptized him. Of course we want to follow his example. So of course a vote for JTB is a vote for JC! (If you need to change your vote now, check with the SEC.)
Remembering Evelyn Underhill’s comment to CS Lewis, “your concept of God would be improved by just a touch of wildness,” my vote goes to John.
While living in Norway, I found the most captivating part of Advent to be when the young girls dressed in white with the candles circulated throughout town, even in businesses and offices, singing the Santa Lucia carol. Inserting some simple spirituality into the workday was refreshing!!!! Gotta go with Lucy.
Have to go with Lucy. Just couldn’t bring myself to vote for someone who ate bugs, with or without honey.
For all that I applaud Lucy’s puffy retreat from icky defilement and her bravery in face of torment, John’s headlong (oh yes I did) run into a passionate life of preaching, cage-rattling, and danger-courting wins him my vote. John’s humility also moves me. And I think of his mother, who brought him into the world in laughter, watching her so-serious son grow to be the baptizer of Jesus. A tough choice, but for me, John’s the one.
My eyes are on Lucy for the victory……..aye, aye!
“Sometimes Lucy is depicted as holding a platter with a pair of eyes upon it.”
Just like the Pale Man in “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Vote for Lucy!
“I assure you that no one who has ever been born is greater than John the Baptist. Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Lucy gets my vote.
I voted for Lucy. As a long-time catechist and Vacation Bible School teacher, I believe we need to raise awareness of the contributions of women of faith. Besides, I voted for a man yesterday.
Have to vote for Lucy ‘cuz I remember that great Beatles song: “Lucy has the Eyes of Diamonds”! Oh yeah!
Having been raised Presbyterian, I must choose a Biblical saint!
Went with Lucy, had to, my surname gives it away. The blog slights her by not mentioning her medieval appearances in Swedish winters, carrying food across frozen lakes to villages where people were starving. Her light graces every candle we use in church and every Taize service. It shines through the Lux Aeterna of Morten Lauridsen’s choral setting. In the Paradiso, Dante sees her as “illuminating Grace”………John the headless is,by contrast, the patron of every repressed, self-mortifying, harsh chiliast. Jesus life and ministry are deeply life affirming in ways that John’s was not. John the Baptist isn’t a Christian martyr. He represents a spiritual dead end, followed only now by a small sect in Iraq (and England) that follow him instead of Jesus and baptize themselves every single Sunday in the Euphates. Check out the youtube of the Uppsala Luciafest with hundreds of women in procession and joy and light and you will vote for LUCY.
thank you for mentioning Lux Aeterna. I was unfamiliar with the piece and delighted to discover it. This Lent Madness is truly a voyage of discovery and I am only 2 days in.
Also – check out Lauridsen’s settings of “O magnum mysterium” and O Nata Lux. (Grab some Kleenex first. Just saying.)
Failing eyesight–plus a Scandanavian wife–means Lucy gets my vote. John the Baptist, after all, got to show up in an opera, while Lucy only gets to be a fire hazard one day a year.
John the Baptist was one of the most important figures in Christian history. He ushered in the ministry of Jesus and had the great privilege of Baptizing our Lord. He took the lesser role to point the way to the Savior of the world. He knew how to preach the Word! It helps me in my human frailty to know that even John the Baptist had doubts about who Jesus really was…just like I do in my weaker moments.
Given that Lucy is supposedly connected to sight and I have glaucoma I’m voting for her. Still in all it wasn’t really that easy given John’s position in the church.
Had to go with Big John on this one.
Maybe I just missed it, but can anyone tell me what is the day for the Feast of St. Lucia.
I can hardly wait to dress up my oldest daughter in a white robe with a wreath and candles on her head.
Richard, Lucy’s feast day is December 13th.
Thanks!
Had to go with Lucy. My husband is totally blind, so naturally I would vote for the patron saint for the blind. Go Lucy!
Poor Lucy isn’t the patron saint of anything but Jamestown, NY an classic television. Oh! I’m sorry. I had the wrong Lucy. I was thinking of *this* St. Lucy:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.0.378.378/p403x403/430909_4603376115406_38691418_n.jpg
anyone who wears a hairshirt and eats locusts wins for me
One of the things that amazes me about the women martyrs like Lucy who fought to remain virgins is that to them, freedom as women meant freedom from sex. Ironic when to so many girls and women in modern times, freedom as a woman is defined as the freedom to have sex- a quest for freedom that can so easily become frantic and indiscriminate. I go with Lucy as an inspiration to girls and women everywhere, including me, who badly need this example!
I voted for John, but I’m going to hold Lucy up to the teens I work with as a great example. Thank you for pointing out Lucy’s strength and search for freedom of sex!
When I think of which saint I’d want to minister to me at my bedside, it’s a no-brainer. St. John would scare me to death with his sturm und drang while St. Lucia promises to fill my room with Spirit & Light. Shine on, Lucy. Shine on!
Though I’ve had my corneas peeled back, I would never look at them with distain as Lucy seems to is so many icons. It seems ungrateful. John, I fancy, was grateful even for his entirely unkosher locusts, though I’m sure honey roasted locusts aren’t quite as bad as one might think. (Not that I’m lining up to try them, mind.) All the same, I can’t go with the underdog this time (I was all about Macrina!). And besides, I have the beginning of Godspell in my head.
I’ve been clergy for a Swedish Church. How the Swedes love this saint of the Church! So much so that the oldest girl of the family is volunteered and willing to wear a wreath of light candles on her head. Thus she’s got my vote … St. Lucy pray for us! AMEN!
Jamestown, NY … I lived there when I was a boy … the home of St. Lucy the Lesser!
To live your life as one who knows that he is not the light, but is willing to testify to the light… what greater witness can there be?! Plus he’s got locusts and camel’s hair. And he is unafraid to call people out (“brood of vipers”). Sorry, Lucy. JBap all the way!
Voted for Lucy. I’m inclined to pull for the underdog here. Someone said she had no connection to Jesus -not biblically- but her actions (not particularly the eyeball gouging) of serving the poor and being unmoved (pun intended) by those who did not agree with her convictions, she certainly was a rebel for the same causes as Jesus.
I am pulled toward a courageous prophet who tells us to Repent– which, as I preached recently– means to see things from a different perspective. Anyone who teaches us to see things from a Christ perspective gets my vote! Lucy gets a pity nod for the lack of vision, but John gets the vote for losing his head.
Lucia, for sure. A woman who stood up for her right to define her life before God for herelf.
ok, i did not vote for the martyr today – go lucy!
I have to go with John. Lucy may have been brave and faithful, but John made a major contribution to Christianity as
proto-confessor.
Do I detect a scheme my the SEC to put the cat among the pigeons by pitting a female saint against a male saint in these early brackets! Not fair!
One doesn’t need eyes to see the light of Christ. Lucy is an inspiration! Go, Santa Lucia!
If it were anyone but Lucy, I would have vote for John. However, I’m half Swedish, so we celebrated St. Lucia’s Day growing up, complete with white robe, red sash, and wreath (and I’m the oldest, so I got to dress up). I’m in seminary now and her feast day falls during finals. So I’ve continued the tradition with hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. Nostalgia and family tradition is hard to ignore, even if I am Baptist 😉
It has to be the Forerunner, the hinge between Old and New Testaments, the one who leaped in Elizabeth’s womb in the presence of his cousin and savior, the one who unleashed a manifestation of the Trinity through his ministry on the banks of the Jordan, the one who prepared the way.
Gotta go with Santa Lucia! Her feast day was my diaconal ordination and more importably my god-daughter is named Lucy!
Besides John was a large smelly, hairy man who ate locusts and wild honey. Look in any church today and you’ll find a priest like him, nothing special there. Now Lucy however…
Currently being involved in Christian education, I’m looking for sheroes. Lucy’s choice to give her all for her faith is important to me.
Lucy: a) because St. Lucia buns are so yummy (and I’m heading down to defrost one from last year after I type this);
and b) because key information about JB’s beheading was left out — that is, Salome’s mother was Herodias, the wife of Herod. The same wife that JB told Herod he shouldn’t have married. Not just some random mom, y’know?
Suze Cate !!! Glad to see you voting! Well, got to go with Lucy. Anybody with any kind of eye problems will think highly of her although the rest of her bio is…..shall we say…… interesting? But one might say she stood for a virtuous way of life….stood rather than the all too common alternative nowadays. In the final analysis, virtue will have it’s own rewards…being featured in LENT MADNESS as one example.
Yes! I’ve worn my St Lucy medal since my wife gave it to me with my most recent eye surgery. As Dolores says, people with eye problems think highly of dear St Lucy.
I really wanted to go with John the Baptist, the man who served as Jesus’ Anger Translator (calling for video in the style of Key and Peele). But, today I had to go with Santa Lucia. In part to atone for completely ignoring Macrina yesterday, and also because I have a soft spot in my heart of the feast of Santa Lucia.
I wanted to go with Lucy, but it’s just hard to beat the trump card of John the Baptist. Besides, that bit about the hot chocolate with wheat berries to represent the eyes kind of creeped me out. I wouldn’t be irate if she won in an upset though. Right now they are neck and neck!
As someone with poor sight, who cherishes the fact she still has it, I have to vote for my patron saint.
“I once was blind but now I see!” Lucy all the way!
This was a hard one, but Lucy got my vote. Being heavy with the Holy Spirit and umoveable vs. doubt in incarceration was the deciding point. Not that doubt is bad, it just makes the difference in this vote.
I am so tempted to choose Lucy! However, prepping a sermon this week about Jesus in the desert, I had to choose John!
I voted for St. Lucy for the same reason as others with eye problem, but am quite surprised at how close this is.
Go Lucy Go!!! A dead heat!!
I’ll take light over locusts any day! And changing your density is a beautiful model of non violent resistance. Go Lucy, go! Shine on and shine bright with better vision and attributes I can rock on Halloween!
Wow! This is only my second year to play, but I don’t remember seeing a count this close this early in the day. Passions are rising!
Since I’m Blind, I vote for Lucy.
I was torn until I saw that Lucy is connected with chocolate. Chocolate!!
At the time I voted, the count was 50-50. John the Baptist is too obvious a choice, so I voted for Lucy. Partly because of my Scandinavian heritage, and partly because the young female martyr (Macrina) lost yesterday. Maybe today’s young female martyr will win…
Voted for Lucy. With all of the violence against women still in this world, she is a timeless example. Also, vision problems and blindness are a part of my family, making her a familial patron saint.
Gotta go with Lucy, since my husband works for a company dedicated to improving eyesight. Plus, John always seemed a little weird to me. Sackcloth and ashes and all that…
Recently diagnosed with the beginnings of macular degeneration in both eyes, I have to vote for Lucy. Not only is her patronage of importance to me as a scholar who reads for both work and pleasure, but one of the most moving poems in the language–by another of the contenders, John Donne–is “A Nocturnall Upon Saint Lucies Day, Being the Shortest Day.”
Theresa, I empathize. I have the same diagnosis. Lucy got my vote — even if I hadn’t known she is a patron saint of those of us with eye “issues.” Glad to see that as of the time I’m posting this she and John are tied in the voting. Lucy in the sky with diamonds, indeed!
JtB, who’s my favorite saint altogether. Lucy sounds like a great gal, though, too….
It came down to one person’s story vs the story of the one person who more than any other signifies the bridging of the Old Testament Law to the New Covenant, and he is family with Jesus as well. His death was worth half a kingdom.
See, in my book, that would be Mary.
Had to go with Lucy, making a connection between this Lucy and Lucy of Narnia – who the hero of the faith I most wanted to emulate as a child. (Today also – what I wouldn’t give to walk with Aslan, my cold hands warmed in his mane.)
Oh! Lovely connection. 🙂
The eyes have it.
Gotta be Lucy!!
I’m a little uncomfortable with the matchups so far. I’d be quite surprised if, for the second straight day, a male doesn’t defeat a somewhat obscure female. Of course, it works that way in tennis (or basketball) too: somebody has to play the champ.
I hear your concern but fear not, sister Judy, and trust the dubious wisdom of the SEC or failing that the workings of the Spirit through Her people. This is Lent Madness. Anything can happen. Two words: Queen Emma (who used to be ‘obscure’ to me – my bad – but in case you missed it last year cut a grace-filled swath through a pile of champs last year like Judith through Holofernes, or Jael through Sisera…).
Hi, Judy!
Glad to see you’re playing. I agree with your comment. I had the same concern. However, I’m happy to see that as of 4pm CST Lucy is holding her own. In fact she’s ahead by about 20 votes, including mine.
Lucy: the original bionic woman. The less we have of her, the more we get to make up. No problem seeing that vote.
Lucy for at least 2 reasons:
First is One Billion Rising. Protesting violence against women.
Second, Handel’s Theodora is my favorite opera and the story line is identical. Theodora in Antioch but both victims of the Diocletian persecution. Plus breathtakingly beautiful music!
Third would be light and the Holy Spirit thing.
Go Lucy!
St. Lucia. Keeping your eyes on the prize over losing your head. Besides, what’s not to like about being a light unto the darkness?
Hot chocolate with wheat berries. Locusts and honey. Both such sweet and crunchy treats.
Grew up in farming country so have a sweet spot for anyone working to reduce grasshopper population (dip ’em in honey and bite their heads? why not) and I do love dear mad wild call ’em as I see ’em John BUT I am voting for Lucy for the most serious of reasons – with a prayer for anyone else needing the intervention of the Holy Spirit to escape a life of sexual exploitation.
As a good (?) Lutheran, I would never pray to St. Lucy as the collect suggests, but I sure would vote for her! Lutherans from northern Europe especially love her, and the Italian in me loves Santa Lucia too. Now, don’t get me wrong, John is “the greatest of all prophets” but I love Lucy…the show and the saint. Wiping away the mythic aspects of her history, we hear of a young woman of faith who loves the poor, serves her neighbor, then suffers and dies for her faith. I admire that, and yes, it inspires me. If interested, I wrote a short blog post about her this past feast day. It helps explain the head wreath and candles, has some of the music as performed in Scandanavia, and a Lutheran prayer:
http://2pennyblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/st-lucy-innocent-of-burglary-on-all-counts/
Thank you, Lou. Good article.
As a cradle Episcopalian, this Lucy collect wouldn’t just roll off of my tongue either!
Gotta remember, no Forerunner, no Messiah. Need to roll with JTB on this one.
Baptism. I love Lucy as much as the next gal, but baptism beats martyrdom every time.
Nobody has mentioned the charm factor. Lucy has much more than John. Seriously though, I picked Jonathan yesterday, because he has more relevance for our times and is a better example to us now. (Macrina appealed to me because she could keep her brothers in line; I have three brothers.) Lucy also relates to us, because (we cannot be that voice in the wilderness) we can serve the poor. I hope the rest of this contest won’t be quite so challenging.
I had to go with John the Baptist, he is just too important a figure to vote against (plus I have him going all the way in my bracket). Also, my brother and my Dad are both Johns, along with a ton of uncles, cousins and a bunch of other ancestors named John it seemed the right thing to do. Come on John! You can do it!
I voted for St. Lucy, for without St. Lucy we would not have that sweet Italian tune, Santa Lucia. Also, I’m going for the females in the brackets as there can never be enough estrogen power in Christianity.
In hopes that she’ll aid my eye problems, I vote for Santa Lucia!
Both of my daughters have portrayed Lucy at church so guess where my vote went.
I was originally going to vote for John, but when one of the comments identified Lucy with chocolate, I changed my mind. Chocolate v. Locusts. Go Lucy!
And Lussekatter (St. Lucia Buns), delicious saffron buns made in any number of figures. YUM! The obvious foodies choice.
I voted for Lucy for two reasons-one was I felt a little sorry for her being put oposite someone as famous as John the Baptist, when I had never heard of her. Second was in honor of her being saint of the blind and the wonderful bionic surgery to help the blind to see that was announced yesterday.
Torn by indecision, I opened the mail to find my grandson’s birthday present, “Skylanders Giants Eye-Brawl- ‘I’ve got my eye on you'”. Lucy wins.
Yikes! A dead heat. In heavy voting.
What I’d really like to see is how John would’ve dealt with Lucy’s evil fiancé. BOOM!
I had to explain to the twins that this particular Lucy wasn’t Charlie Brown’s crabby friend. They voted for her anyway!
This is tough, but Lucy has my vote. Many have articulated the reasons for supporting Lucy. One thing which I didn’t see mentioned was the force behind the martyrdom. John was beheaded mostly for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Salome’s mom, as an antagonist, doesn’t really achieve the toughness of opposition that Lucy faced. Secondly, John the Baptist was really tiresome complainer…that whole viper business. Others may see it as speaking truth to power, but I think he had more than a tinge of evangelical/in your face/judgmentalism, which has made a lot of enemies. Lucy does not pose that difficulty. Finally, I think John the B gets a bit of a free ride because of family connections, so I am happy to vote for plucky Lucy (pun intended). A fine heroine.
Robert, there’s no “right” way to participate in Lent Madness. Some people fill out brackets and then try to “win” Lent as they compete with friends or fellow parishioners (not that these groups are mutually exclusive) while others simply read about the saints and vote as the match-ups arise. As long as you’re learning something and having fun, you can’t go wrong!
Kooper M with his lyrics helped me decide, John, John, won’t you wash ’em away
Make us ready for the Judgement Day
Take us down and hold us under
Make the heavens roar with thunder ”
Feel da rhythm feel da rhyme, vote for John all da time!
While Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna is wonderful, and Strauss’ Salome is too, the beginning of Godspell is still the most fun. And I’m tired of female saints who are noted for their virginity — this is just male oppression in a different disguise.
I’m with you on the beginning of Godspell! And I too am sick of hearing about virgin saints as if their virginity was the point. But as I learned in my early church history class last semester, it does seem that in the early church, virginity was precisely a means of opposing male oppression: it was about autonomy and agency. Plus, there usually *is* much more to the stories of these “virgin saints” than virginity.
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
’nuff said
Wow, Lucy is out in front by about a head’s length or so. How might have seen this outcome? (sorry). John should go out and baptize some voters. Here ends the puns (from me anyway).
how = who
Okay, then I’ll do it:
“…they’re neck and neck….”
(sorry – had to be done)
I got to put Lucy over by 1 vote. I love those feisty young girl saints who struck a chalenge at part of the foundation of the Roman empire. They dared to disobey their fathers and other men and all for Jesus sake.
Lucy is not the underdog, I see! As of this posting she is ahead!! Hah!
I must admit I voted for St. Lucy because someone dear to me died on her feast day (meaning, in my mind, that he shares her feast day). But I also love a wild story like hers! Tough call, John the Baptist has a wild story too…
As I voted, they were neck and neck – 50/50, in fact. Clearly a good match-up!
Lucy: Scattering the dowry and dashing the desires of a patriarchal power structure. A saint for our times, indeed!
I cast my vote for St Lucia in honor of my sister Lucia, a brave and faithful follower of the Light.
Just ask yourself, HWJV? (How would Jesus vote?) And besides, John pointed us in the right direction: “Here’s the Lamb of God..”
In my case I have to ask, HWJSV? (How would John Saville vote?) He’s my boss, for the sake of my own head I follow his lead as he along with JtheB points me in the right direction…
This is tough, but the weight-heaviness is just too great to ignore. John T. Baptist it is. Plus, they named a whole bunch of denominations after him.
Oh come on, people! John is the Forerunner of Our Lord! We can’t let Lucy leave him in the dust!
It was a tough call for me. While I admire Lucy for her feminist behavior, I had to vote for John the Baptist because I grew up at St. John’s parish in Brooklyn and it shaped the rest of my life!
As others have mentioned so little is known about Lucy that much of her story could be simply made up. In fact some scholars point out that the story of Lucy is very similar to the story of St. Paraskevi, a woman who lived several hundred years before Lucy and who is considered the Patron Saint for the Blind by some faiths.
John the Baptist however clearly lived since so many details of his life exist in various texts. In addition baptism is such an important part of a christian’s life that I had to vote for the baptist, John that is and not the denomination.
I like the way Lucy carries her eyeballs while still having her eyeballs in her head. Always has an extra pair!
But mostly I find myself feeling *antagonistic* about John. My husband is Greek Orthodox and it seems like EVERY OTHER DAY is a feast day honoring the first, second, or third finding of the Forerunner’s head. They can’t seem to keep track of it. His godmother says that John wanders around in some particular church in Lebanon. Not only have I not gotten into the whole “What do you mean, like a ghost?” question with her, but I also haven’t asked if he has his head on, or carries it around with him like the Headless Horseman, or has one on his shoulders and carries a spare. I don’t want to know.
A no-brainer for me: I was ordained deacon on St Lucy’s day .
Ash Wed. eye doctor appointment showed Lycentis injections no longer staving off wet macular degeneration of my retinas [both], Trying another injectable med, the Dr said, “to see if we can keep you from going blind this month, or in two months, or in six months”. It’s beginning to sink in..
I needed to hear about Lucy today. Thanks.
On behalf of those with limited vision and women I voted for Lucy!
Wow! You keep challenging us with tough choices, although I find today’s much tougher than yesterday’s. How could I not vote for a saint who was so very faithful, even when the rigors of prison wracked his mind with doubts? OTOH, suffering as I do with diabetic retinopathy, how could I not vote for my patroness saint of people with blindness and eye disease? I also admire her diaconal ministry of distributing to meet the needs of the poor, as the first deacon, St. Steven, also the first martyr, did. I have a very soft spot for people who do the work of the Book of the Acts deacons (unlike modern Anglican Communion transitional deacons), perhaps in part because my late husband was a Presbyterian deacon in the Steven tradition (caring for the widows and oorphans–and all the needy)for 37 years, and is part of why I voted for Macrina the Younger yesterday, and am ending up choosing Lucia today. She chose to distribute her dowry so the hungry could be fed. This is in direct obedience to our Lord who told his disciples that he rejects those who see the hungry and fai to feed them but has a place in his kingdom for those who even give a cup of cold water in his name. So Lucia it is.
Um, Jesus. See, John sent me to ask you…understand that I have no doubts…but he wants to know…jeez this is difficult…he kinds wants to ask you…ok, here goes…if you really are the Messiah.
JtB is Jesus’ fullback. Lucy suffers from being from Syracuse. JtB gets the vote.
I voted for Lucy for two reasons- my dad’s side of the family is Swedish, and the Swedes, as stated, are very fond of Lucy. And one of the nicest people I know was born on her feast day and is actually named Santa Lucia.
I vote for Lucy in honor of women who have been abused and used and killed because they were they who stood up for themselves and their faith.
John the Baptist got my vote he paved the way for people to know Christ our Lord. We are to have a relationship with our God, Three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Jesus is the way)
A women to stands up against the violence by men perpetrated upon her.
A women who feeds the poor with her dowry
A women who is faithful to her convictions and stands up against the oppression by the husband who was arranged FOR HER.
In thanksgiving for the life of the wonderful sightless people I’ve lived with and who have taught me so much –
Lucy!
John the Baptist! The great model for ministry! He baptized them, and sent them back one at a time, never knowing what, if any, impact his ministry would have in the world.
One of them turned out to be Jesus, and the world was changed…
Had eye cancer, so went with Luvy. But also was married on what was then called John the Baptist day but sometimes shows up in calendars as “The Beheading of St. John the Baptist.” BCP still calls it “The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist” but omits the rememberance of his death. Nothing on Aug. 29 in the BCP calendar, but the Christian Planning Calendar gives it to [John Bunyon].
I vote for Lucy in honor of my son, Sean who is legally Blind and for all who are visually impaired. Lucy is also my confirmation name.
I’ve noticed that now that Lucy is about to trounce JtheB, certain ones of us are panicking and pooh-poohing the validity and truthfulness about Lucy’s life and struggles and victory over the powers-that-be/were! Ha! Let that be a lesson to naysayers. The truth will find a way and the paternalistic way of thinking is falling by the wayside. On to victory Lucy! JtheB may eventually win this but you put a real scare into the doubters!
I’m sure the Baptist has a much larger role in heilsgeschichte but I voted for Lucy because a) her name proclaims the Light of Christ in the darkness of winter, b) my mother grew up in Italy and my sister-in-law lives in Scandinavia so I get those traditions pretty directly, c) her Feast date stayed in the BCP even when her name wasn’t in the Calendar (as an Ember Day indicator), and d) I’ve worn glasses for more than 65 years (though this was not a major consideration). I’m glad to see she’s kept a lead — however small — through much of the day, and I think the early predictions for John Baptist ignored the human and spiritual appeal of her story.
Wow, they are neck and neck. Hooray for the girl! Macrina was robbed yesterday so am glad to see Lucy holding her own. Had to go with my Scandinavian heritage on this one!
Yes, Aleathia!! Like what you said!
This is not a fair match up at all. John is a wonderful figure/saint what chance does Lucy stand!
I could do no other than vote for Lucy!!!!
I vote for Lucy. She was just a regular chick, NOT related to Jesus, just like us.
The “eyes” have it! I vote for Lucy, also a patron saint of electricians. And my daughter was born on St. Lucy’s day, which means we remember Santa Lucia with candles
the eyes have it!
I am pained and dismayed to see how the Lenten faith of so many voters is swayed by the lure of chocolate, saffron, and the mere thought of cinnamon buns. Oh, the weakness of the flesh against the smell of baking!
By contrast–John the Washer will not be puffed up with the Holy Spirit (how did that work, anyway?) No, he goes about his rounds clean, and all natural. Honey: no refined sugars for him! An earthy aroma of native goat hair. The healthy, plaque-reducing crunch of locust. A man ahead of his time, a locavore. Here’s an environmentalist’s vote for John the Washer.
As the “Holy Fool” I am going with Lucy. How could the Holy Fool vote any other way?
As the “Holy Fool” I am going with LUCY. How could the “Holy Fool” vote any other way.
So, it’s possible to vote more than once? If so, then we are operating on the honor system? Even though I am pulling for Lucy, I promise to vote only once 🙂
Fear not, friends, the SEC closely monitors potential voter fraud. If we see multiple votes from the same ISP address, said voter will be cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So far this appears to be a very clean election but we do keep Jimmy Carter on retainer just in case.
Tim, are multiple votes allowed from multiple people in the same household? My daughter is casting her own ballot. Maybe it’s okay though since she is using a different device, albeit on the same internet account. Oh my, hanging chads ….
Sarah, we keep an eye on this. If it looks to us like a family voting, we let it slide. When we see, say, 30 votes from one residential address, we know something’s up. In your case, you should be fine.
So, I guess you found out I am a celestial mole.
Now if a teacher had her class vote, would that be the same ISP address?
Kathleen, it’s possible that we would think it looked like an irregularity, but if that happened, the teacher could just let us know. Last year, we had a couple of different schools that we incorrectly blocked (out of a few dozen correct diagnoses). For good measure, the teacher could give us a heads ahead, so we could the IP address (not ISP address, as my erstwhile archnemesis wrote).
Full marks for Lucy, but I think it best to keep it in the Family. Go John!
I am in favor of those crowns of candles that the girls wear in Sweden. I mean John did eat honey which is nice, but he wasn’t as stylish.
Correct. Everyone in a household is entitled to a vote. Dogs, cats, ferrets, etc, however, are not. And we’re assuming no one has 15 siblings unless we see the actual birth certificates to verify.
My cat Luchy and beagle LucyLu are extremely disappointed that they are not allowed to vote on this one . . . but they are praying for Lucy!
Francis of Assisi and Pangur Ban huff noisily and turn their backs.
As a Swedish-American from Minnesota I don’t see how I could vote for anyone but Sankta Lucia. She has my vote.
Natten går tunga fjät
rund gård och stuva;
kring jord, som sol förlät,
skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus,
stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
Natten går stor och stum
nu hörs dess vingar
i alla tysta rum
sus som av vingar.
Se, på vår tröskel står
vitklädd med ljus i hår
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
Mörkret ska flykta snart
ur jordens dalar
så hon ett underbart
ord till oss talar.
Dagen ska åter ny
stiga ur rosig sky
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.
Is that sung to the same tune as the Neapolitan version? It fits it too well to be a coincidence, and yet I can’t quite imagine it.
It is the same tune, Davis, yes.
I had noticed that if I were less than honest I could vote more than once based on how I accessed the site: email, Facebook or direct Internet link on my iPhone. Looked at the site from all three portals yesterday and, after voting via the first portal, the subsequent ones would have allowed an additional vote. If I noticed this, I’m sure others have as well. Scott, I’m glad your monitoring for voter fraud given this loophole. But, of course, I’m certain all us Lent Madness officiandos are absolutely honorable!
I knew this would happen–we are splitting our family votes. The girls are voting for Lucy because she is the patron saint of the blind and our dog is named Lucy. The boys are voting for John because they are grossed out by the plucked out eyes.
John gets my vote. John brought Jesus to His calling. Christ is the center. Christ healed the blind man. Christ is still healing the blind, the sick, and can heal our world if we reach out with our hands to do it.
I hate to let a negative issue decide this for me; but at least three correspondents have based their votes on the fact that Jesus and John were related, one going so far as to imply that of COURSE Jesus would have voted for his cousin. They must not go unchallenged.
Down with nepotism! Equal access for all to the Golden Halo! No fear, no favor! Worth before birth!
(Did I forget to mention chocolate?)
John the Baptist is certainly a momentous figure in the Bible. He prepared the world for Jesus and his ministry, he baptized Jesus, many of his followers became disciples of Jesus, he gave his life for Jesus. However, John’s role was ordained by God prior to his birth; it wasn’t his choice for himself.
Lucy, like John, was a Christian. Unlike John, she chose to do God’s work. Lucy was born into a wealthy family and could have lived a frivolous, meaningless life. Instead she chose to do God’s work. She chose to distribute her dowry to the poor; she was so filled with the Holy Spirit that she was too heavy for the guards to move her; and finally she was imprisoned, tortured and killed and still did not denounce Christ. Now some of this sounds a lot like what John the Baptist went through but, he was preordained by God to do His work; Lucy chose of her own free will (and I might mention against what others wanted her to do) to be a follower of Christ. For this, she gets my vote.
Almost went with Lucy, but had to go with John simply because he was the first person to recognize the messiah, and he did it in utero! John lept, and so goes one of the most joyful moments in the holy scriptures (and there are quite a few).
Voter fraud, for JtB? Shame! Final straw to push me Lucy’s way!
Gotta vote for Lucy, because she’s in the Roman Canon. Back in the days when the long lists of names in “Eucharistic Prayer #1” bored me silly because I didn’t know who any of them were, that shorter list of women’s names really mattered to me.
Also, the Diocletian Persecution.
What? How can we deny John the Baptist the Golden Halo? Not only was he the cousin of Jesus, but he baptized him. Besides that he ate LOCUSTS!! I will always remember one of my youth group members who drew an amazing portrait of John with a camel head for a belt buckle. Not only was John a holy man but he did not pluck out his own eyes and carry them around like some other saint…. what was her name???
Didn’t all this concern with voter fraud begin with one arch nemesis not trusting another arch nemesis, the Lenten detente not withstanding (i.e. trust but verify)?
I’m appalled that people would cheat when voting for saints! For shame!!!!! My Grandmothers Lucy are pleased.
And the original pilgrimage hostel/hospital founded in his name in Jerusalem by the knights of Malta, my forbears, were/are the original order of chaplains serving the sick and poor together in one ministry as lay women and men and ordained men, co-opted by the Pope as the papal navy, battling Suleiman the Magnificent, carrying the hand relic of the Bpaptist with them through every battle, and depositing it in an Eastern Orthodox monastery near Medugorje, where it remains today.
Ok, how can you NOT vote for a saint whose followers set their heads on fire to celebrate her? That is the coolest! It smells bad, though, as we found out when we tried it. Keep water handy.
She’s the poster child for the Violence Against Women Act!! Good timing.
I did consider voting for Lucy precisely in recognition of V-Day and One Billion Rising to stop Violence Against Women. As I commented at the time, however, I went with John. But I am very concerned about the voter fraud issue,- not because my candidate lost but because if this were a less penitential season we would doubtless find it necessary to appeal through the courts. And in this time-sensitive matter I have to ask myself “What would Dean Smith do?”
John the Baptist is beyond compare with any of these saints. He was da’ man even baptizing Jesus himself! How this super-important person in the life of our Church could not win this current Lent Madness is totally beyond reason!
That’s why the call it “Lent Madness “…. 😉
Yes. And it is also a chance for us to talk about how our lives and experience influence how we see the past now….I love the comments as much as the bios.
JtheB wins everyday, particularly in Lent as he cries, “Prepare ye the way”. I think he would graciously allow Lucy of the Light her day in the sun.!
If voter fraud is happening, pass an edict requiring all voters to travel to the city of their birth to register to vote. Let volunteers who register voters throw out the registration papers of those who register as agnostics…
You’ve got to be kidding me! Of course Episcopalians would vote for a woman no matter what. Johnny was ROBBED by political correctness!
Well, to be fair, I don’t think John’s fashion sense helped him out any. He could have trimmed that beard up to look a bit more presentable if he’d really wanted the position.
In my mind’s eye I see him right now striding through the landscaping around SEC HQ shaking his fist & roaring “Repent, you brood of vipers”, and occasionally grabbing people to dunk in the courtyard water feature… but secretly happy in his heart to be still out there doing what he does best.