Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr, on Wednesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15
In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.
Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
Always be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.
Psalm 102(103):1-2,13-14,17-18 The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Reflection:
St. Agatha is believed to have been born in Sicily, either in Catania or Palermo, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Decius (c. 251 AD). She suffered terribly when a Roman official named Quintianus became infatuated with her and she rejected his sexual advances.
Global Statistics from UNWomen.org say approximately one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence. Over 640 million women aged 15 and older have been subjected to violence by an intimate partner. Globally, 6% of women report having been subjected to sexual violence by someone other than their partner. This figure is likely underestimated due to stigma and underreporting. Approximately 15 million girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide have experienced forced sex at some point in their lives. For every 10 victims of human trafficking detected globally, about four were adult women and two were girls. Notably, 91% of detected victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are women. The United Nations Committee Against Torture has recognized that widespread sexual violence within certain religious institutions amounts to torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The Committee has expressed serious concerns about the failure of these institutions to prevent and address such abuse adequately.
Agatha is venerated as the patron saint of breast cancer patients, nurses, and rape victims. Perhaps she should also be the patron of Safeguarding women against violence.
She is also considered a protector against volcanic eruptions and fires. One of the most famous signs of her intercession occurred a year after her death when Mount Etna erupted. The people of Catania invoked her protection, and the lava flow miraculously stopped. If she can stop the spread of lava perhaps she can help stop the spread of abuse against women.
Agatha’s life challenges us to face suffering not as defeat but as a path to deeper love. She reminds us that faith is not always easy, but faithfulness is the act of staying in love, rather than taking the pathway of power and abuse.
The Christian way of staying in love, is reflected in Hebrews, which reminds us, to see trials as moments of growth, not punishment.
Let us pray for women, may they be courageous like St. Agatha. In a world that often rejects Christ, stand firm in a love that transforms our world.