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St Agatha was one of the most highly venerated martyrs of Christian antiquity, but much of her “real history” is veiled in the mists of time. She is listed in the earliest martyrologies (the Martyrologium Heironymianum, and the Martyrologium Carthaginiense) which date from the fifth century (AD 400’s). Her name is one of those mentioned in the old Latin canon of the Mass.
While they are all very late (at least in regard to when she lived in the 200’s AD) we do have traditions about her life and death. We learn of the legends about her in ecclesiastical poetry, letters of prelates and a document called “The Acts of the Martyrdom of St. Agatha.”
According to these accounts, she was the daughter of a distinguished family and remarkable for the her beauty. A Roman Senator, a pagan man by the name of Quintianus found her attractive and pursued her for a marriage partner. Agatha, knowing that to marry a Senator would mean ritual duties that required some form of idolatry, resolutely refused his advances. In a vengeful fury, he used his political power to subject her to the charge of “an evil woman” (either a very wealthy lady who would train Agatha for truly elegant living, and thereby, entice her to a more materialistic life, or perhaps a prostitute who was to “train her” in that business, if the latter, the idea would be that if he couldn’t have her, he’d make sure no one else would want her for marriage). But the woman’s seductive arts, whatever they were, were baffled by Agatha’s unswerving firmness in the Christian faith and discipline of life.
Thus frustrated in his plan, he then subjected her to torture by a Roman Prefect. Among the tortures she underwent she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts. She is therefore often depicted in church art carrying her excised breasts on a platter, though the more tasteful depiction here has her merely carrying the “Martyr’s Palm”. Recently she is venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients.
According to most legends, she died from the wounds to her breasts, though one legend says she lived through the ordeal, her scorned lover, then, eventually sentencing her to death by being burnt at the stake. While some legends say she died in that fire, other legends say she was saved from this fate by a mysterious earthquake, and that she later died in prison. All agree she died from suffering.
She is considered as the patron saint of Malta since her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from a Turkish invasion in 1551.
The Basques have a tradition of gathering on St. Agatha’s Eve and going round the village. Homeowners can choose to hear a song about her life, accompanied by the beats of their walking sticks or a prayer for those deceased in the house. After that, the homeowner donates food to the chorus. An annual festival to commemorate the life of St. Agatha takes place in Catania, Sicily, from Feb 3-5. The festival culminates in a great procession through the city of which hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents turn out. Here in Los Angeles, we celebrate her feast on February 5, with a parish dinner/dance close to that date.
We are a Church dedicated to her memory, and by that fact to the memory of martyrdom. It makes sense for us to ask ourselves what we learn from martyrdom. On the one hand, it is a thrilling testimony to faithfulness under pressure, and can challenge us to measure our own loyalty to God by a very high standard. On the other hand, it also shows us something of the nature of religious and/or political intolerance- the “stuff” that causes martyrs; this should challenge us to take a very close look at our own intolerance for people whose opinions and beliefs are different from our own.
It has been said that “the blood of the martyrs” is the nourishment of the Church, meaning that their witness to the faith (“witness” is what the Greek word “martyr” actually meant) inspires a deep commitment in those who hear their story. But, it is also true that the blood of martyrs is the often repeated result of all war and human violence. As long as human beings learn that “hatred” for their enemies is “standing for God,” and as long as they learn the arts of violence as a “normal process of coming of age,” then martyrs for some cause will always be created.
The memory of Agatha teaches us that our power to kill a human being is a weak power, and it cannot ever kill the ideas or the causes those murdered folk espoused. Maybe she challenges us to re-think how we live in the world. Maybe she is begging us not to create more martyrs, but to learn to live mutual respect and peace- in the peace of the One Whom she followed, the Prince of Peace. And maybe YOU need to hear her challenge. Why? We don’t know. BUT, you are either a member of a parish dedicated to her memory, or you have wandered in and found her story. Perhaps a Mind Greater than your own is trying to get your attention, and is trying to help you see a kinder, gentler way of living in the world.
Pray with us this prayer:
St. Agatha, woman of valor, from your own suffering we have been moved to ask your prayers for those of us who suffer from breast cancer. We place the name (s) before you, and ask you to intercede on their behalf. From where you stand in the health of life eternal- all wounds healed, and all tears wiped away- pray for ____________________, and all of us. Pray God will give us His holy benediction of health and healing. And, we remember you were a victim of torture and that you learned, first hand, of human cruelty and inhumanity. We ask you to pray for our entire world. Ask God to enlighten us with a “genius for peace and understanding.” Ask Him to send us His Spirit of Serenity, and ask Him to help us share that peace with all we meet. From what you learned from your own path of pain, ask God to give us the Grace we need to remain holy in difficulties, not allowing our anger or our bitterness to overtake us. Pray that we will be more peaceful and more charitable. And from your holy pace in our mystical body, the Church, pray that we, in our place and time will, together, create a world of justice and peace. Amen.
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit
Invited or not, God is present!
