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Feast date: Jan 21
On Jan. 21, the Roman Catholic Church honors the virgin and martyr St. Agnes, who suffered death for her consecration to Christ.
Although the details of Agnes’ life are mostly unknown, the story of her martyrdom has been passed on with reverence since the fourth century. On the feast day of the young martyr – whose name means “lamb” in Latin – the Pope traditionally blesses lambs, whose wool will be used to make the white pallium worn by archbishops.
Born into a wealthy family during the last decade of the third century, Agnes lived in Rome during the last major persecution of the early Church under the Emperor Diocletian. Though he was lenient toward believers for much of his rule, Diocletian changed course in 302, resolving to wipe out the Church in the empire.
Agnes came of age as the Church was beginning to suffer under a set of new laws decreed by Diocletian, and his co-ruler Galerius, in 303. The emperor and his subordinate called for churches to be destroyed and their books burned. Subsequent orders led to the imprisonment and torture of clergy and laypersons, for the sake of compelling them to worship the emperor instead of Christ.
Meanwhile, Agnes had become a young woman of great beauty and charm, drawing the attention of suitors from the first ranks of the Roman aristocracy. But in keeping with the words of Christ and Saint Paul, she had already decided on a life of celibacy for the sake of God’s kingdom. To all interested men, she explained that she had already promised herself to a heavenly and unseen spouse.
These suitors both understood Agnes’ meaning, and resented her resolution. Some of the men, possibly looking to change her mind, reported her to the state as a believer in Christ. Agnes was brought before a judge who tried first to persuade her, and then to threaten her, into renouncing her choice not to marry for the Lord’s sake.
When the judge showed her the various punishments he could inflict – including fire, iron hooks, or the rack that destroyed the limbs by stretching – Agnes smiled and indicated she would suffer them willingly. But she was brought before a pagan altar instead, and asked to make an act of worship in accordance with the Roman state religion.
When Agnes refused, the judge ordered that she should be sent to a house of prostitution, where the virginity she had offered to God would be violated. Agnes predicted that God would not allow this to occur, and her statement proved true. Legends say that the first man to approach her in the brothel was struck blind by a sudden flash of light, and others opted not to repeat his mistake.
But one of the men who had at first sought to make Agnes his own, now lobbied the judge for her execution. In this respect, the suitor obtained his desire, when the public official sentenced her to die by beheading. The executioner gave her one last chance to spare her life, by renouncing her consecration to Christ – but Agnes refused, made a short prayer, and courageously submitted to death.
St. Agnes, who died in 304, was venerated as a holy martyr from the fourth century onward. She is mentioned in the Latin Church’s most traditional Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon.
When I was a child, Sundays were different from the other days of the week. There were no weekend sports for kids, stores were closed, and most people didn’t go to work. Everyone went to church and then home for family dinner. Things started to change when I was a young adult – not just in the culture, but in my life. I stopped going to Mass and filled my Sunday with other things. At the peak of my career, I worked seven days a week. When not working, I took weekend motorcycle trips with my husband. The Lord’s Day was no longer set aside for God.
When I returned to the faith after 20 years, my first step was Sunday Mass. I still took motorcycle trips but always made time to find a church. I was beginning to recognize my need to keep holy the Lord’s Day. The more I attended Mass, the closer I was to Jesus, the more He touched my heart, and the greater was my desire to know Him.
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God had to teach them how to keep the Sabbath. As slaves, they could not worship God, they could not offer sacrifices, and they could not rest to ponder the mysteries of God. Like the Israelites, I was enslaved to work and needed God to free me so I could have rest.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the Pharisees the true meaning of the Sabbath. It was not to enslave people but to free them. Freedom allowed them to enter into Communion with God.
The challenge today is to keep holy the Lord’s Day in a post-Christian culture. It is more than attending Mass, but what that “more” means is unique to each individual and family. Some avoid shopping and restaurants on Sundays. Others set aside time to serve. Still others reserve time for spiritual reading or family Bible study. Some families avoid all sports that have Sunday practices or games.
Jesus said in today’s Gospel that the Sabbath was made for man. Is your Sunday feeding you, refreshing you, providing relief for you? If it’s not, perhaps God is calling you to make a change. He may want to free you from the slavery you have willingly entered into. What’s holding you back? Is God asking something of you? Is there an activity you should begin or a behavior you should stop?
God has promised an abundant life. The day of rest opens the door to that abundant life. Embrace your Sunday as a day of rest and worship.
Cuando era niña, los domingos eran diferentes a los demás días de la semana. No había deportes para niños los fines de semana, las tiendas estaban cerradas y la mayoría de la gente no iba a trabajar. Todos iban a la iglesia y luego a casa para cenar en familia. Las cosas empezaron a cambiar cuando era una adulta joven, no solo en la cultura, sino en mi vida. Dejé de ir a misa y llené mi domingo con otras cosas. En la altura de mi carrera, trabajaba siete días a la semana. Cuando no estaba trabajando, viajaba en motocicleta los fines de semana con mi esposo. El día del Señor ya no estaba reservado para Dios.
Cuando volví a la fe después de 20 años, mi primer paso fue la misa dominical. Seguía haciendo viajes en motocicleta, pero siempre hacía tiempo para encontrar una iglesia. Estaba empezando a reconocer mi necesidad de santificar el día del Señor. Mientras más asistía a misa, más me acercaba a Jesús, más me tocaba el corazón y mayor era mi deseo de conocerlo.
Cuando Moisés sacó a los israelitas de Egipto, Dios tuvo que enseñarles cómo guardar el sábado. Como esclavos, no podían adorar a Dios, no podían ofrecer sacrificios y no podían descansar para meditar en los misterios de Dios. Al igual que los israelitas, yo estaba esclavizada al trabajo y necesitaba que Dios me liberara para poder descansar.
En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús enseña a los fariseos el verdadero significado del sábado. No era para esclavizar a las personas, sino para liberarlas. La libertad les permitió entrar en comunión con Dios.
El desafío de hoy es santificar el Día del Señor en una cultura postcristiana. Es más que asistir a misa, pero lo que ese “más” significa es único para cada individuo y familia. Algunos evitan ir de compras y a restaurantes los domingos. Otros reservan tiempo para servir. Otros reservan tiempo para la lectura espiritual o el estudio bíblico familiar. Algunas familias evitan todos los deportes que tienen prácticas o juegos dominicales.
Jesús dijo en el Evangelio de hoy que el sábado fue hecho para el hombre. ¿Tu domingo te alimenta, te refresca y te brinda alivio? Si no es así, tal vez Dios te esté llamando a hacer un cambio. Quizás quiere liberarte de la esclavitud en la que has entrado voluntariamente. ¿Qué te detiene? ¿Dios te está pidiendo algo? ¿Hay alguna actividad que deberías comenzar o algún comportamiento que deberías abandonar?
Dios ha prometido una vida abundante. El día de descanso abre la puerta a esa vida abundante. Acoge tu domingo como un día de descanso y adoración.
Colleen Orchanian is a podcaster, blogger, and spiritual director who desires to help others have a more profound encounter with God. She is the author of three books: Nearer My God to Thee, Times of Grace, and Lingering with God. Her podcast is Food for Thought (Spiritually Speaking). You can learn more at ColleenOrchanian.com.
Feature Image Credit: Justin Reich, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/consecration-17739/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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