February 5, 2010
Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr
By Melanie Rigney
With his every deed (David) offered thanks to God Most High, in words of praise. With his whole being he loved his Maker and daily had his praises sung; he set singers before the altar and by their voices he made sweet melodies. He added beauty to the feasts and solemnized the seasons of each year so that when the Holy Name was praised, before daybreak the sanctuary would resound. The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever; he conferred on him the rights of royalty and established his throne in Israel. (Sirach 47:8-11)
The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, my Savior! (Psalms 18:47)
(Herod) said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” (Mark 6:22-24)
Piety
Bright shall the day of St. Agatha rise/Virgin and martyr, for lo! from the skies,/Christ, as a lover, stooped tenderly down,/Crowning her brow with his duplicate crown.
Born unto affluence, gentle in blood,/Wealth and temptation she bravely withstood;/Earth with its vanities casting aside,/Binding her soul to her God as a bride.
Stronger of heart than the tyrant, her foe./Patient she bowed 'neath the lash and the blow;/And by her bosom, all rent by the sword,/Proved her invincible love for the Lord.
Bleeding and bound in the prison, behold!/Peter restored the sweet lamb to his fold;/Gladly she faces the torture again./Rising in triumph o'er evil and pain.
Even the strangers, who knew not the Lord,/Flying destruction, were saved by her word;/Surely to those who are marked with His seal,/She will bring graces to help and to heal.
(From Hymn to St. Agatha; author unknown)
Study
Do you ever wonder about the faith some of the saints and martyrs exhibited?
Saint Agatha, whose feast day we celebrate today, was imprisoned in a brothel and, we are told, had her breasts cut off. She was rolled naked on a bed of live coals. And yet, her faith remained steadfast.
John the Baptist speaks out about the inappropriateness of Herod’s marriage to his brother’s ex-wife, Herodias, who in turn wants him killed and finally succeeds when Herod becomes captivated by Herodias’s daughter.
Who are today’s martyrs? Some of those beatified died for the faith, including Francesco Spoto, a Sicilian missionary killed in the Congo; and Marie-Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta, a nun killed during Congo’s civil war; and Pavol Gojdic, a monk killed by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. (If you’re looking for some more recent possibilities, an unofficial list at Canada’s Catholic Doors Ministry begins with the story of Father Allard Msheyne, who was killed by carjackers in October 2007.)
It’s comfortable to think of people in faraway times or faraway lands as possible martyrs. And yet, we all, even here in the relative comfort of the Diocese of Arlington, must be prepared to act. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, continues the mission of Christ himself in the course of history. Christians must, therefore, proclaim to everyone the Good News borne by Christ; and, following his path, they must be ready for self-sacrifice, even unto martyrdom. … Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.
We can learn a lot from the likes of John the Baptist and Saint Agatha and those who have died for the faith during our own lifetime. And we can also learn from the likes of David who took life-threatening chances (remember Goliath?) for the faith and lived to tell. Whether or not martyrdom is a possible outcome of our proclamation of the Good News to others, let us show our faith fearlessly in our actions and our words, confident in the rock that is our Lord.
Action
With Lent less than two weeks away, meditate on a new way you can witness to the truth of the faith.
