His Word Today: Saint Agatha

Saint Agatha
by Bernardino Luini, 1520

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Agatha.  It is believed that she was born in Catania or in Palermo (Sicily) in 231 AD.  It appears that when she was 15 years old, having dedicated her virginity to God, Agatha, who was from a rich and noble family, rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus who then persecuted her for her Christian faith.  He sent her to a brothel but the keeper of that establishment found her to be uncooperative so eventually, Quintianus sent for her, argued with her, threatened her and then finally had her put in prison.  There, she was tortured in many ways, including the cutting off of her breasts with pincers.

There were further confrontations between her and Quintianus and when she persisted in her denials, she was sentenced to be burned at the stake, however an earthquake saved her from that fate.  Instead she was sent back to prison and there, it is said that Saint Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds.  Agatha died in prison in the year of Our Lord two hundred and fifty three, during the reign of Decius, the emperor of Rome.

The Cathedral in Catania (Sicily) is dedicated to Saint Agatha.

Saint Agatha is one of a long line of saints venerated in the Catholic Church.  Have you ever wondered what degree of devotion she must have had in order to be so steadfast in her resolve to follow in the footsteps of the Lord that she was able to dedicate her virginity to God at such a tender age?

The passage of Saint Mark's gospel which is read at today's Mass describes a crowd of people who come running in search of Jesus (cf Mk 6:53-54).  These people from the land of Geneseret must also have recognized something special in the person of Jesus, something that caused them to come scurrying about the surrounding countryside (Mk 6:55) in search of him.  Saint Agatha discovered this same level of dedication at a very tender age.  And what about us?  Have we fallen in love with Christ to the point that we would be willing to give our lives for him?

May the witness of Saint Agatha inspire us to delve deeper in our commitment to follow in the footsteps of Jesus today.

Have a great day.