+ St. Agnes was one of the most popular saints of the
early Church. At age 12, during the persecution of Diocletian, she was ordered
to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She made the Sign of
the Cross and then was threatened and tortured when she refused to turn against
the One God. Several young men presented themselves, offering to marry her
(some out of pity to save her life), but she said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, and that she
would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ. She
was martyred then (the exact method is not known) on January 21, 304 at Rome.
She became immediately popular as a model Christian during this very difficult
time in Church history. Her name is mentioned in the First Eucharist Prayer –
the Roman Canon.
On
her feast day two lambs are
blessed at her church in Rome, Italy and then their wool is woven into the palliums (bands of white wool) which the
pope confers on newly appointed archbishops as a symbol of their jurisdiction.
Her name means lamb, chaste or pure
one.
The
gospel passage tells of the
treasure and the pearl of great price that are worth all we have to obtain
them: both the treasure and the pearl represent all that goes with being a
fully committed member of the Kingdom of Heaven: members of Christ the most
treasured One of all: the heavenly Spouse who will live very happily forever
with all of us one day, after we, like St. Agnes, suffer all that still needs
to be suffered in order to perfect his Church and thus make it fully presentable
on the Last Day.
May we boast in the Lord
today, who strengthens us to do what we need to be righteous,
holy and redeemed people of God.
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