The Lord hears the cry of the poor. — Psalm 34:7

Mass Readings: Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13 / Matthew 21:28-32

Little Lucy

My granddaughter is named Lucy, so today naturally means a lot to us here at Chez Shea (That is, the Shea house.) Lucy is 2 and sees the whole world with eyes of wonder. Some months back, she sat down to lunch, made a vague hand gesture (the Sign of the Cross) and then whispered “blessablessabless” and proceed to demolish her chow. It was a prayer as pure as a psalm and rooted in the purest of hearts — that of a baptized little girl.

St. Lucy (d. 304) is hailed for being a virgin martyr. The reason the Church celebrates consecrated virgins is, in part, because they remind us of children, for all children are virgins and virgins are therefore signs of purity. The purity of our little Lucy’s heart is a beautiful image of the virginal hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Prayer: Father, give us pure hearts like little children.