Saint Agatha is one of the great virgin martyrs of the early
Roman church, who in the midst of persecution, chose to be faithful to Christ
no matter what the cost. She was
martyred in the brief but ferocious persecution of the emperor Decius.
This persecution was the first empire wide persecution. It required all citizens of the Empire to
offer a sacrifice to the Roman Gods, renounce the Christian faith in front of a
Roman official and obtain a certificate called a libellus proving they had done
so.
Some Christians publically rejected their faith by offering
the sacrifice; some compromised their faith by bribing the official to obtain
the libellus.
Saint Agatha was a beautiful young woman who was sought after
by many of the wealthy suitors of her time.
She, however, had given her heart to another. She had consecrated herself to Christ—to be
His bride—to spend her life in his prayerful service and consecrated virginity.
One Pagan Roman man, threatened that he would turn her in to
the authorities if she did not marry him.
She refused to marry him, and since she would not offer the pagan
sacrifice, she was imprisoned, and
tortured, and eventually killed.
We honor the virgin martyrs like Agatha, Susanna, Agnes,
Anastasia, Dymphna, because of their courage and perseverance and immense love
of Christ. They sacrificed their lives
rather than betray the union of their hearts with the Heart of Christ. These weren’t just naïve little girls; they
knew what their consecration to Christ would mean in a time of hostility
towards the faith.
Christians are called to courarage in witnessing the faith, when it is not convenient to do so, even in the face of political hostility.
In our culture which grows increasingly hostile to Christ and
his message, may Saint Agatha and the virgin martyrs teach us to love Him and
hold fast to Him and prefer nothing to the love of Christ for the glory of God
and salvation of souls.
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