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THE BIRTH OF JOHN, HERODIAN TETRARCHY, ROMAN EMPIRE, 1ST CENTURY BC
Elizabeth gives birth to John. Their miracle child. Elizabeth gives a passing thought to Mary and her pregnancy, but this is her moment. She has been blessed with a child and her husband’s voice has been restored. She is sweaty and tired, but her soul is at peace. She gently strokes his cheek and presses a kiss to the crown of his head. Six months later Mary gives birth to Jesus. Another miracle child. However, for Elizabeth it is a moment of fear as she bundles up her son to hide him in the mountains from Herod's murderous edict. Of mourning as her husband is slain to keep their hiding place safe. "He must increase, but I must decrease" John would later say of himself in relation to Christ. As John's life begins, the summer days become shorter.
SAINT JOHN'S EVE, DENMARK, 24TH JUNE
It is the height of summer in Denmark. The days are long; it's 10 p.m. before our mother realizes it's late and we should go to bed. We shout in glee that we're not going to bed before the sun goes down. Today we're allowed to stay up late because it's midsummer, Saint John's Eve. We have a ward activity at my grandparent’s farm. The field behind their house has been mown down, and we've piled up a huge bonfire. My father lights the fire, a burning and shining light against the gathering twilight. All the Primary kids collect sticks, and the Relief Society sisters hand out globs of the bread dough to twist around the stick and bake over the fire, a Danish summer staple. I have a love-hate relationship with twist-bread. The outside is always burnt while the inside is still raw dough. But it's grossness tastes like summer and Young Women’s camp.
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WHEN MARTIN BECAME BISHOP, TOURS, GAUL, 371 AD
Martin didn't want to become Bishop. He'd had enough of leading men in the army. The son of a veteran officer, the army was inevitable for Martin. However, his Father in Heaven had a different career in mind than Martin's earthly father did. Martin left behind horses and swords, becoming a soldier of Christ. The Saints asked him to come and minister to the sick, but when they said 'minister' they meant become Bishop, and when they said 'the sick' they meant all of Tours. Realizing this, he tried to hide among a flock of geese. The geese however objected to his subterfuge and squawked so loudly they gave him away. Neither on boats nor among geese does God let us hide from duty. As he was reluctantly consecrated Bishop, the critics muttered that he was too disheveled for such an office, and Martin sheepishly brushed the straw from his cloak and the feathers from his hair.
SAINT MARTIN'S DAY, DENMARK, 11TH NOVEMBER
It is autumn, my favorite season. I love the crispness of the air, the falling leaves, the colors. It is a month of all the best flavors: apples, plums, pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon. It’s a month of celebration, between my birthday at the beginning of November, and my sister’s at the end. Sandwiched in the middle on Saint Martin’s Day we eat duck or goose. My mother tells me the story of St. Martin hiding among the geese and them telling on him with their squawking. I’m too young to understand the story and thought of the geese as the villains for giving Martin up. My dad was the bishop, and perhaps he felt some kinship with Saint Martin, wishing he could have found a better hiding spot than him from the heavy responsibilities that come with being a dutiful Saint.
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THE DEATH OF LUCY, SYRACUSE, WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE, 304 AD
Lucy believed in miracles. As Lucy's mother suffered, Saint Agatha came to Lucy in dreams: "because of your faith your mother is healed". In gratitude Lucy distributed her gold to the poor, for health was of greater value than wealth. For all that glitters is not gold, and what was gold worth after death? Her fiancé disagreed. He denounced her to Paschasius the Governor of Syracuse, during the Great Persecution of Christians under the reign of Diocletian. Men can be cruel, but Lucy was not moved from her faith. Lucy believed in miracles. When they wanted to take her away for punishment, they realized they could not physically move her. In this her last hour, she began to prophesy: of the end of Paschasius, of Diocletian, and of Christian persecution. Unmoved, her end came by the sword. Her light snuffed out.
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCY, DENMARK, 13TH DECEMBER
The days have become short. A somewhat depressing time of year where it's dark when I leave for school, and it's dark by the time I get back, and I feel I’ve wasted all my daylight hours behind a desk. But we celebrate the light in the dark. Christmas is coming. Dressed in white, the young women all line up, holding candles. The girl at the front gets to be Lucy and is crowned with a candle wreath, and a red sash symbolizing Lucy's martyrdom. It’s one of those coveted roles, like Mary in the nativity. The lights in the cultural hall are turned off, and while singing the song of Saint Lucy we walk down the processional aisle: "...Bestow upon us the abundance of happiness, even to the eve of life, Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia". The song ends, the lights come back on, the candles are blown out quickly before someone accidentally commits arson. We eat the S-shaped Luciabread the Relief Society sisters have made and look forward to Christmas.
This piece was published in 2024 as part of the Holiday Lit Blitz by the Mormon Lit Lab. Sign up for our newsletter for future updates.