The Fire of the Forerunners

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

Sir 48:1-4.9-11; Psalm: 79; Mt 17:10-13

Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this Memorial of Saint Lucy, a virgin martyr whose very name means “light,” the Church presents us with the towering figure of the Prophet Elijah. His story, and its fulfillment in John the Baptist, illuminates the path of every witness who prepares the world for Christ—a path that often leads through the fire of suffering, but always radiates with the light of truth.

The sacred author of Sirach sings the praises of Elijah, that prophet who “arose like a fire.” His word was a burning torch, his zeal for the Lord God of hosts unmatched. He is remembered for his wondrous deeds, for shutting up the heavens and calling down fire. But his story culminates in a mysterious destiny: he was taken up “in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses.” This fiery ascent points to a God who does not abandon His faithful ones to death. The prophecy that Elijah would return before the Messiah became a fixed hope in Israel, a hope to “put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord… to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons.”

This very hope is the subject of the disciples’ question in the Gospel. Having just witnessed the Transfiguration, where they saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus, they ask, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus confirms the prophecy but reveals its stunning fulfillment: “Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.” The evangelist clarifies, “Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, with the same fiery zeal for repentance, and he met the same fate of violent rejection. He was the forerunner who prepared the way by his preaching and his martyrdom.

The prophetic mission is to prepare hearts for the Lord, and this often entails a confrontation with the world’s darkness. Saint Lucy, whose light we honor, follows in this lineage. As a virgin martyr, she embodied the fiery purity of Elijah and the courageous witness of John the Baptist. She chose to consecrate her virginity to Christ, and when denounced, she did not recant. Tradition holds that her eyes were gouged out, making her a patron saint for the blind. Yet, her true sight was her unwavering vision of Christ, her heavenly Bridegroom. Her physical blindness became a powerful symbol of the inner light that no earthly power can extinguish.

As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “The martyrs… testify to the fact that Christian hope is not in vain.” Their light shines brightest against the darkness of persecution.

The comfort for us is this: God always sends forerunners. He sends prophets into our lives—a challenging friend, a faithful priest, the witness of a saint like Lucy—to turn our hearts back to Him. The challenge is to have the spiritual sight to recognize them and the courage to heed their call to conversion.

In this Advent season, we are called to be forerunners ourselves, preparing the way for the Lord in our families and communities. How? By cultivating the inner light of a clean heart through Confession, and by having the courage to stand for the truth with the fiery, gentle love of the saints.

May the intercession of Saint Lucy, and the example of Elijah and John the Baptist, grant us the courage to be a light in the darkness, faithfully preparing the way for the Lord who is our everlasting Light. Amen.