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Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and
martyr
St. Agatha
Feastday: February 5
Although we have evidence that Agatha was venerated at least as
far back as the sixth century, the only facts we have about her are that she
was born in Sicily
and died there a martyr.
In the legend of her life, we are told that she belonged to a
rich, important family. When she was young, she dedicated her life to God and
resisted any men who wanted to marry her or have sex with her. One of these
men, Quintian, was of a high enough rank that he felt
he could force her to acquiesce. Knowing she was a Christian in a
time of
persecution, he had her arrested and brought before the judge - - himself. He
expected her to give in to when faced with torture and possible death, but she
simply affirmed her belief in God by
praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all,
you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all
that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil."
Legend tells us that Quintian imprisoned
her in a brothel in order to get her to change her mind. Quintian
brought her back before him after she had suffered a month of assault and
humiliation in the brothel, but Agatha had never wavered, proclaiming that her
freedom came from Jesus. Quintian sent her to prison,
instead of back to the brothel -- a move intended to make her more afraid, but
which probably was a great relief to her. When she continued to profess her faith in
Jesus, Quintian had her tortured. He refused her any
medical care but God
gave her all the care she needed in the form of a
vision of St. Peter. When she was tortured again, she died after saying a final
prayer: "Lord, my Creator, you have always protected me from the cradle;
you have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer.
Receive my soul."
Because one of the tortures she supposedly suffered was to have
her breasts cut off, she was often depicted carrying her breasts on a plate. It
is thought that blessing
of the bread that takes place on her feast may have come from the mistaken
notion that she was carrying loaves of bread.
Because she was asked for help during the eruption of Mount Etna
she is considered a protector against the outbreak of fire. She is also
considered the patroness of bellmakers for an unknown
reason --
though some speculate it may have something to do with the fact that bells were
used as fire alarms.
Prayer:
Saint Agatha, you suffered sexual assault and indignity because of
your faith. Help heal all those who are survivors of sexual assault and protect
those women who are in danger. Amen
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