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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-05-14, M, St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 02-05-14 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 02/04/2014 10:19:03 PM PST by Salvation

February 5, 2014

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

 

 

Reading 1 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17

King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,
“Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba
and register the people, that I may know their number.”
Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:
in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service;
in Judah, five hundred thousand.

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,
and said to the LORD:
“I have sinned grievously in what I have done.
But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,
for I have been very foolish.”
When David rose in the morning,
the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying:
“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says:
I offer you three alternatives;
choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’”
Gad then went to David to inform him.
He asked: “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land,
or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,
or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land?
Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.”
David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty.
Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;
but let me not fall by the hand of man.”
Thus David chose the pestilence.
Now it was the time of the wheat harvest
when the plague broke out among the people.
The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel
from morning until the time appointed,
and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died.
But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,
the LORD regretted the calamity
and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,
“Enough now! Stay your hand.”
The angel of the LORD was then standing
at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking the people,
he said to the LORD: “It is I who have sinned;
it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.
But these are sheep; what have they done?
Punish me and my kindred.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Gospel Mk 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; ordinarytime; prayer
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To: All
St.Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, Third Century
Feast of St. Agatha, Patroness of Sicily
21 posted on 02/05/2014 9:04:43 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Information: St. Agatha

Feast Day: February 5

Born: Catania or Palermo

Died: 251, Catania

Patron of: bellfounders; breast cancer; bakers; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mount Etna; fire; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wetnurses

22 posted on 02/05/2014 9:09:32 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Agatha


Feast Day: February 05
Born:(around)220 :: Died:250

A beautiful Christian girl named Agatha lived in Sicily in the third century. The governor heard of Agatha's beauty and brought her to his palace. He wanted to make her commit sins, but she was brave and would not give in. "My Lord Jesus Christ," she prayed, "you see my heart and you know my desire. I am all yours. Save me from this evil man. Make me worthy of winning out over the devil."

The governor then sent Agatha to the house of a wicked woman and hoped she would become bad too. But Agatha had great trust in God and prayed all the time. She kept herself pure. She would not listen to the evil ideas of the woman and her daughters.

After a month, she was brought back to the governor. He tried again to win her. "You are a noblewoman," he said kindly. "Why have you lowered yourself to be a humble Christian?"

"Even though I am a noble," answered Agatha, "I am a slave of Jesus Christ." "Then what does it really mean to be noble?" the governor asked. Agatha answered, "It means to serve God."

When he realized that she would not sin, the governor became angry. He had Agatha whipped and tortured. As she was being carried back to prison she whispered, "Lord, my Creator, you have protected me from the cradle. You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Now receive my soul." Agatha soon died a martyr at Catania, Sicily, in the year 250.


23 posted on 02/05/2014 9:14:14 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Day 59 - Why is Jesus LORD? // Why did God become Man in Jesus?

 

Why do Christians address Jesus as "Lord"?

"You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am" (Jn 13:13).

The early Christians spoke as a matter of course about Jesus as "Lord", knowing that in the Old Testament this title was reserved as a form of addressing God. Through many signs Jesus had shown them that he had divine power over nature, demons, sin, and death. The divine origin of Jesus' mission was revealed in his Resurrection from the dead. Thomas confessed, "My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:28). For us this means that since Jesus is "the Lord", a Christian may not bend his knee to any other power.


Why did God become man in Jesus?

"For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven" (Nicene Creed).

In Jesus Christ, God reconciled the world to himself and redeemed mankind from the imprisonment of sin. "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son" (Jn 3:16). In Jesus, God took on our mortal human flesh (Incarnation), shared our earthly lot, our sufferings, and our death, and became one like us in all things but sin. (YOUCAT questions 75-76)


Dig Deeper: CCC section (446-463) and other references here.


24 posted on 02/05/2014 9:19:30 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Part 1: The Profession of Faith (26 - 1065)

Section 2: The Profession of the Christian Faith (185 - 1065)

Chapter 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God (422 - 682)

Article 2: "And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord" (430 - 455)

IV. LORD

209
(all)

446

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the ineffable Hebrew name YHWH, by which God revealed himself to Moses,59 is rendered as Kyrios, "Lord". From then on, "Lord" becomes the more usual name by which to indicate the divinity of Israel's God. The New Testament uses this full sense of the title "Lord" both for the Father and — what is new — for Jesus, who is thereby recognized as God Himself.60

59.

Cf. Ex 3:14.

60.

Cf. 1 Cor 2:8.

548
(all)

447

Jesus ascribes this title to himself in a veiled way when he disputes with the Pharisees about the meaning of Psalm 110, but also in an explicit way when he addresses his apostles.61 Throughout his public life, he demonstrated his divine sovereignty by works of power over nature, illnesses, demons, death and sin.

61.

Cf. Mt 22:41-46; cf. Acts 2:34-36; Heb 1:13; Jn 13:13.

208
641
683
(all)

448

Very often in the Gospels people address Jesus as "Lord". This title testifies to the respect and trust of those who approach him for help and healing.62 At the prompting of the Holy Spirit, "Lord" expresses the recognition of the divine mystery of Jesus.63 In the encounter with the risen Jesus, this title becomes adoration: "My Lord and my God!" It thus takes on a connotation of love and affection that remains proper to the Christian tradition: "It is the Lord!"64

62.

Cf Mt 8:2; 14:30; 15:22; et al.

63.

Cf. Lk 1:43; 2:11.

64.

Jn 20:28,21:7.

461
653
(all)

1

 

449

By attributing to Jesus the divine title "Lord", the first confessions of the Church's faith affirm from the beginning that the power, honor and glory due to God the Father are due also to Jesus, because "he was in the form of God",65 and the Father manifested the sovereignty of Jesus by raising him from the dead and exalting him into his glory.66

65.

Cf. Acts 2:34-36; Rom 9:5; Titus 2:13; Rev 5:13; Phil 2:6.

66.

Cf. Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:9-11.

2242
(all)

450

From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ's lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Caesar is not "the Lord".67 "The Church... believes that the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master."68

67.

Cf. Rev 11:15; Mk 12:17; Acts 5:29.

68.

GS 10 § 3; Cf. 45 § 2.

2817
(all)

451

Christian prayer is characterized by the title "Lord", whether in the invitation to prayer ("The Lord be with you"), its conclusion ("through Christ our Lord") or the exclamation full of trust and hope: Maran atha ("Our Lord, come!") or Marana tha ("Come, Lord!") — "Amen Come Lord Jesus!"69

69.

1 Cor 16:22; Rev 22:20.

IN BRIEF

1

 

452

The name Jesus means "God saves". The child born of the Virgin Mary is called Jesus, "for he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21): "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

453

The title "Christ" means "Anointed One" (Messiah). Jesus is the Christ, for "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" (Acts 10:38). He was the one "who is to come" (Lk 7:19), the object of "the hope of Israel" (Acts 28:20).

454

The title "Son of God" signifies the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the Father (cf. Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18); he is God himself (cf. Jn 1:1). To be a Christian, one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (cf. Acts 8:37; 1 Jn 2:23).

455

The title "Lord" indicates divine sovereignty. To confess or invoke Jesus as Lord is to believe in his divinity. "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Cor 12:3).

Article 3: "He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary" (456 - 570)

Paragraph 1: The Son of God Became Man (456 - 483)

I. WHY DID THE WORD BECOME FLESH?

456

With the Nicene Creed, we answer by confessing: "For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

385
607
(all)

457

The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who "loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins": "the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world", and "he was revealed to take away sins":70 Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state?71

70.

1 Jn 4:10; 4:14; 3:5.

71.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, Orat. catech 15: PG 45, 48B.

219
(all)

1

 

458

The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God's love: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him."72 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."73

72.

1 Jn 4:9.

73.

Jn 3:16.

1717
1965
2012
520
823
(all)

459

The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me."74 On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: "Listen to him!"75 Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: "Love one another as I have loved you."76 This love implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example.77

74.

Mt 11:29; Jn 14:6.

75.

Mk 9:7; cf. Deut 6:4-5.

76.

Jn 15:12.

77.

Cf. Mk 8:34.

1265
1391
1988
(all)

460

The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature":78 "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."79 "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God."80 "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."81

78.

2 Pet 1:4.

79.

St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 19, 1: PG 7/1, 939.

80.

St. Athanasius, De inc. 54, 3: PG 25, 192B.

81.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57, 1-4.

II. THE INCARNATION

449
653
661
(all)

461

Taking up St. John's expression, "The Word became flesh",82 the Church calls "Incarnation" the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. In a hymn cited by St. Paul, the Church sings the mystery of the Incarnation: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.83

82.

Jn 1:14.

83.

Phil 2:5-8; cf. LH, Saturday, Canticle at Evening Prayer.

462

The Letter to the Hebrews refers to the same mystery: Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Lo, I have come to do your will, O God."84

84.

Heb 10:5-7, citing Ps 40:6-8 ([7-9] LXX).

90
(all)

463

Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God."85 Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings "the mystery of our religion": "He was manifested in the flesh."86

85.

1 Jn 4:2.

86.

1 Tim 3:16.


25 posted on 02/05/2014 9:27:52 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Mark
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Mark 6
1 AND going out from thence, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him. Et egressus inde, abiit in patriam suam : et sequebantur eum discipuli sui : και εξηλθεν εκειθεν και ηλθεν εις την πατριδα αυτου και ακολουθουσιν αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου
2 And when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying: How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands? et facto sabbato cœpit in synagoga docere : et multi audientes admirabantur in doctrina ejus, dicentes : Unde huic hæc omnia ? et quæ est sapientia, quæ data est illi, et virtutes tales, quæ per manus ejus efficiuntur ? και γενομενου σαββατου ηρξατο εν τη συναγωγη διδασκειν και πολλοι ακουοντες εξεπλησσοντο λεγοντες ποθεν τουτω ταυτα και τις η σοφια η δοθεισα αυτω και δυναμεις τοιαυται δια των χειρων αυτου γινονται
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him. Nonne hic est faber, filius Mariæ, frater Jacobi, et Joseph, et Judæ, et Simonis ? nonne et sorores ejus hic nobiscum sunt ? Et scandalizabantur in illo. ουχ ουτος εστιν ο τεκτων ο υιος μαριας αδελφος δε ιακωβου και ιωση και ιουδα και σιμωνος και ουκ εισιν αι αδελφαι αυτου ωδε προς ημας και εσκανδαλιζοντο εν αυτω
4 And Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred. Et dicebat illis Jesus : Quia non est propheta sine honore nisi in patria sua, et in domo sua, et in cognatione sua. ελεγεν δε αυτοις ο ιησους οτι ουκ εστιν προφητης ατιμος ει μη εν τη πατριδι αυτου και εν τοις συγγενεσιν και εν τη οικια αυτου
5 And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them. Et non poterat ibi virtutem ullam facere, nisi paucos infirmos impositis manibus curavit : και ουκ ηδυνατο εκει ουδεμιαν δυναμιν ποιησαι ει μη ολιγοις αρρωστοις επιθεις τας χειρας εθεραπευσεν
6 And he wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching. et mirabatur propter incredulitatem eorum, et circuibat castella in circuitu docens. και εθαυμαζεν δια την απιστιαν αυτων και περιηγεν τας κωμας κυκλω διδασκων

26 posted on 02/05/2014 9:53:45 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
1. And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.
2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5. And he could there do no mighty work, save that be laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

THEOPHYL. After the miracles which have been related, the Lord returns into His own country, not that He was ignorant that they would despise Him, but that they might have no reason to say, If you had come, we had believed You; wherefore it is said, And he went out from thence, and came in to his own country.

BEDE; He means by His country, Nazareth, in which He was brought up. But how great the blindness of the Nazarenes! they despise Him, Who by His words and deeds they might know to be the Christ, soley on account of His kindred. It goes on, And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which it given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? By wisdom is meant His doctrine, by powers, the cures and miracles which He did.

It goes on, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?

AUG. Matthew indeed says that He was called the son of a carpenter; nor are we to wonder, since both might have been said, for they believed Him to be a carpenter, because He was the son of a carpenter.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Jesus is called the son of a workman, of that one, however, whose work was the morning and the sun, that is, the first and second Church, as a figure of which the woman and the damsel are healed.

BEDE; For although human things are not to be compared with divine, still the type is complete, because the Father of Christ works by fire and spirit. It goes on, The brother of James, Joses, Jude, and of Simon. And are not his sisters here with us? They bear witness that His brothers and sisters were with Him, who nevertheless are not to be taken for the sons of Joseph or of Mary, as heretics say, but rather, as is usual in Scripture, we must understand them to be His relations, as Abraham and Lot are called brothers, though Lot was brother's son to Abraham. And they were offended at him. The stumbling and the error of the Jews is our salvation, and the condemnation of heretics. For so much did they despise the Lord Jesus Christ, as to call Him a carpenter, and son of a carpenter.

It goes on, And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country. Even Moses bears witness that the Lord is called a Prophet in the Scripture, for predicting His future Incarnation to the sons of Israel, he says, A Prophet shall the Lord raise up to you of your brethren. But not only He Himself, Who is Lord of prophets, but also Elias, Jeremiah, and the remaining lesser prophets, were worse received in their own country than in strange cities, for it is almost natural for men to envy their fellow-townsmen; for they do not consider the present works of the man, but they remember the weakness of His infancy.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Oftentimes also the origin of a man brings him contempt, as it is written, Who is the son of Jesse? for the Lord has respect to the lowly; as to the proud, He beholds them afar off.

THEOPHYL. Or again, if the prophet has noble relations, his countrymen hate them, and on that account do not honor the prophet. There follows, And he could there do no mighty work, &c. What, however, is here expressed by He could not, we must take to mean, He did not choose, because it was not that He was weak, but that they were faithless; He does not therefore work any miracles there, for He spared them, lest they should be worthy of greater blame, if they believed not, even with miracles before their eyes. Or else, for the working of miracles, not only the power of the Worker is necessary, but the faith of the recipient, which was wanting in this case: therefore Jesus did not choose to work any signs there.

There follows, And he marveled at their unbelief.

BEDE; Not as if He Who knows all things before they are done, wonders at what He does not expect or look forward to but knowing the hidden things of the heart, and wishing to intimate to men that it was wonderful, He openly shows that He wonders. And indeed the blindness of the Jews was wonderful, for they neither believed what the prophets said of Christ, nor would in their own persons believe in Christ, Who was born amongst them. Mystically again; Christ is despised in His own house and country, that is, amongst the people of the Jews, and therefore He worked few miracles there, lest they should become altogether inexcusable. But He performs greater miracles every day amongst the Gentiles, not so much in the healing of their bodies, as in the salvation of their souls.

6. - And he went round about the villages, teaching.

THEOPHYL. The Lord not only preached in the cities, but also in villages, that we may learn not to despise little things, nor always to seek for great cities, but to sow the word of the Lord, in abandoned and lowly villages. Wherefore it is said, And he went round about the villages, teaching.

Catena Aurea Mark 6
27 posted on 02/05/2014 9:54:05 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Christ's Sermon in the synagogue

28 posted on 02/05/2014 9:54:36 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: Salvation

Patron saint against fires!


29 posted on 02/05/2014 10:01:11 AM PST by diamond6 (Behold this Heart which has so loved men!" Jesus to St. Margaret Mary)
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To: All
CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Wednesday, February 5

Liturgical Color: Green

Today is the Memorial of St. Agatha,
virgin and martyr. Agatha was a
beautiful, young girl desired by a Roman
senator for marriage around 250 A.D.
Wanting to remain pure for Christ, she
refused, and was tortured until she died.

30 posted on 02/05/2014 1:45:35 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

 

Daily Readings for:February 05, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May the Virgin Martyr Saint Agatha implore your compassion for us, O Lord, we pray, for she found favor with you by the courage of her martyrdom and the merit of her chastity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o    Cherries Jubilee I

o    Cherries Jubilee II

o    Flambe Cherry Pie

o    Martyrs' Chiffon Dessert

o    Whole Wheat Batter Bread

o    Whole Wheat Bread I

o    Whole Wheat Bread II

ACTIVITIES

o    Customs on the Feast of St. Agatha

o    Nameday Ideas for St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

o    Religion in the Home for Elementary School: February

o    Religion in the Home for Preschool: February

PRAYERS

o    Litany of the Saints

o    Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

·         Ordinary Time: February 5th

·         Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr

Old Calendar: St. Agatha

St. Agatha died in defense of her purity, in Catania, Sicily, where she was born. After Quintanus, the governor of Sicily, tried in vain to force her to consent to sin, she was imprisoned for a month with an evil woman. He then turned from sensuality to cruelty and had her breasts cut off; but that night Agatha was healed by St. Peter. She was then rolled over sharp stones and burning coals, and finally taken to prison where she died while praying. Her name appears in the Roman Canon.


St. Agatha
It is impossible to write a historically reliable account of St. Agatha's life. The "Acts" of her martyrdom are legendary, dating from the sixth century.

According to these sources Agatha was a Sicilian virgin of noble extraction. Quintianus, governor of Sicily, became deeply enamored of her; but she rejected his advances. As a result she was charged with being a Christian and brought before his tribunal. To the question concerning her origin she replied: "I am noble-born, of a distinguished family, as all my relatives will attest." When asked why she lived the servile life of a Christian, she answered: "I am a handmaid of Christ, and that is why I bear the outward appearance of a slave; yet this is the highest nobility, to be a slave to Christ." The governor threatened her with the most dreadful tortures if she did not renounce Christ. Agatha countered: "If you threaten me with wild beasts, know that at the Name of Christ they grow tame; if you use fire, from heaven angels will drop healing dew on me."

After being tortured, "Agatha went to prison radiant with joy and with head held high as though invited to a festive banquet. And she commended her agony to the Lord in prayer." The next day, as she again stood before the judge, she declared: "If you do not cause my body to be torn to pieces by the hangmen, my soul cannot enter the Lord's paradise with the martyrs. She was then stretched on the rack, burned with red-hot irons, and despoiled of her breasts. During these tortures she prayed: "For love of chastity I am made to hang from a rack. Help me, O Lord my God, as they knife my breasts. Agatha rebuked the governor for his barbarity: "Godless, cruel, infamous tyrant, are you not ashamed to despoil a woman of that by which your own mother nursed you?"

Returning to prison, she prayed: "You have seen, O Lord, my struggle, how I fought in the place of combat; but because I would not obey the commands of rulers, my breasts were lacerated." In the night there appeared to her a venerable old man, the apostle Peter, with healing remedies. Agatha, ever delicately modest, hesitated to show him her wounds. "I am the apostle of Christ; distrust me not, my daughter." To which she replied: "I have never used earthly medicines on my body. I cling to the Lord Jesus Christ, who renews all things by His word." She was miraculously healed by St. Peter: "Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I give you praise because by Your apostle You have restored my breasts." Throughout the night a light illumined the dungeon. When the guards fled in terror, her fellow prisoners urged her to escape but she refused: "Having received help from the Lord, I will persevere in confessing Him who healed me and comforted me."

Four days later she was again led before the judge. He, of course, was amazed over her cure. Nevertheless, he insisted that she worship the gods; which prompted another confession of faith in Christ. Then by order of the governor, Agatha was rolled over pieces of sharp glass and burning coals. At that moment the whole city was rocked by a violent earthquake. Two walls collapsed, burying two of the governor's friends in the debris. Fearing a popular uprising, he ordered Agatha, half dead, to be returned to prison. Here she offered her dying prayer: "Blessed Agatha stood in the midst of the prison and with outstretched arms prayed to the Lord: O Lord Jesus Christ, good Master, I give You thanks that You granted me victory over the executioners' tortures. Grant now that I may happily dwell in Your never-ending glory." Thereupon she died.

A year after her death the city of Catania was in great peril from an eruption on Mount Etna. Pagans, too, were numbered among those who fled in terror to the saint's grave. Her veil was taken and held against the onrushing flames, and suddenly the danger ceased. Her grave is venerated at Catania in Sicily.

The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Bell-founders; breast cancer; breast disease; Catania, Italy; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mount Etna; fire; fire prevention; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; Palermo, Italy; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wet-nurses; Zamarramala, Spain.

Symbols: Breasts on a dish; embers; knife; loaves of bread on a dish; pincers; shears; tongs; veil; virgin martyr wearing a veil and bearing her severed breasts on a silver platter.

Things to Do:


31 posted on 02/05/2014 2:19:04 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 6:1-6

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Where did this man get all this? … Is he not the carpenter? (Mark 6:2, 3)

Though well-intentioned, the people of Nazareth seemed to have missed the new thing God had for them. Jesus had grown up in their village. They knew his parents and extended family. Surely they knew everything about Jesus already—or so they thought. So they dismissed what he was saying and doing, and in the process, they minimized what he could do in their midst. What a sad loss of an opportunity!

The thing is, though, that we, too, can become comfortable in the all too familiar setting of our parish Mass. We know how things are done, so we are tempted not to pay close attention. We can easily go through the motions of worship without engaging our minds and hearts. When this happens, it wouldn’t be surprising if, like the Nazarenes, we lowered our expectations and ended up experiencing less than all God has in store for us.

If you find yourself in a situation like this—let’s call it what it is: a rut—try something different. The next time you go to Mass, pretend that you have brought a guest with you, someone who has never been to church before. Look around with this person’s fresh eyes. What strikes you? 

Maybe you notice again how very few people sit in the front row. Maybe you wonder how your friend will know where to find the hymns. What is pictured in that stained-glass window? Why all the standing and kneeling? Questions like these can help you rediscover some treasures you had overlooked earlier.

An exercise like this can also become an occasion for the Spirit to invite you to a deeper faith. Paying close attention to the liturgy and the environment can help make your participation at Mass more conscious, active, and heartfelt. And that means that your encounter with the Lord at Mass will become more powerful and life-changing. 

So put yourself in another person’s shoes. See if it helps energize your appreciation of everything that God is doing at Mass. See, also, if it helps you become more actively engaged in worship. You never know how the Lord will work!

“Jesus, thank you for inviting me to come to your house of prayer week after week. Please open my eyes and my heart as I encounter you there.”

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17; Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7


32 posted on 02/05/2014 2:29:45 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for February 5, 2014:

How do you like to be treated when you are ill? Do you want to be left alone or fussed over? What about your spouse? Don’t assume that what you like is what your beloved would like. Ask.

33 posted on 02/05/2014 2:33:05 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

Made for God

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr

Mark 6:1-6

He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.  When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.  Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.

Introductory Prayer: O Lord, you said that blest are they who find no stumbling block in you. I want to be a blest person, so that you may find in me no obstacle to the holiness you want for me. I believe in you, but I long for a greater faith to see and respond to the signs of your hand moving in my world. I love you, Lord, and wish to lead my brothers and sisters to you through my testimony, through my being truly convinced that you are the life of men.

Petition: Lord, grant me the gift of total surrender to your will for me in all things.

1. “Where did this man get all this? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands.” How beautiful it is to contemplate the humble and meek Christ!  He now manifests, to the shock and awe of the worldly-minded, the signs of his true origin and the nature of his true mission.  The power of God, the power of the supernatural, now intervenes in what is merely natural through the mere “carpenter’s son.” The “signs of credibility” that Christ enacts through his mighty words and deeds powerfully point to his divine origins and invite his contemporaries to faith.  It is an invitation to leave behind them the superficial category of Jesus as just a nice neighbor (which means they can live the same as before) and receive the gift of Christ as Redeemer (which means change and conversion). Are there signs in my life that the Lord is looking to change me, to change my behavior in some way so I might live more by faith and charity?  How much longer will I resist before I will am won over by his goodness?

2. “And they took offense at him.” It is a sacrifice to give God his place in the ordinary flow of our day. To do so, we need to sacrifice our sense of self-sufficiency, by which we are inclined to be the prime mover of everything in our world. We need to sacrifice our vanity, which desists from efforts to adore God since they bring little or no applause from those around us. We need to sacrifice the comfort of our naturalism, our horizontal view of things. Ultimately this sacrifice is a work of love responding to a divine invitation to share in God’s life––love, because he is asking and wants to see us giving. Let us move our hearts to embrace this sacrifice joyfully, for the sake of love. It helps to see that in this passage there are no neutral states. Those who reject the invitation to love are turned to love’s opposite––hate, specifically the hatred of the supernatural. It is a tragedy at work in our culture in many places, giving rise to the forces of anti-evangelization. Let us pray and be vigilant that it may never become our tragedy.

3. “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there.” Our Lord makes himself vulnerable to us, to our willingness to believe. He comes only to make us happy and to elevate our lives to be more beautiful, deeper in meaning and richer in fruits. He wants to bring into our life his power to work miracles and to move mountains of fear and burdens that we encounter. He comes to be ointment for our wounds and consolation for our weary hearts. The only thing he needs to make us happy, then, is our faith, our unconditional and active faith. Without it (since he respects our freedom), we cripple his capacity to act in our life as Savior and Lord. How sad it is to see how easily we refuse such a selfless and beautiful gift.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, teach me to receive you with a heart ready to leave my rationalistic way of acting and choosing. Help me to know how to read your invitations with supernatural faith and to follow them in true obedience, where true love proves itself.

Resolution: I will be very obedient to the lights I receive today from the Holy Spirit, acting on them with promptness and generosity.


34 posted on 02/05/2014 3:49:20 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 2

<< Wednesday, February 5, 2014 >> St. Agatha
 
2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
View Readings
Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7 Mark 6:1-6
Similar Reflections
 

THE DEBT OF SIN

 
"Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people, and said to the Lord: 'I have sinned grievously in what I have done.' " —2 Samuel 24:10
 

David sinned by taking a census against God's will. This sin caused the deaths of 70,000 people in three days by pestilence (2 Sm 24:15). The wages of sin is death, in fact, thousands of deaths (Rm 6:23). Moreover, this was probably not David's worst sin.

This shows us the devastating effect of one sin, and why one sin is a tragedy much greater than the worst natural disasters. In this passage, we see the measurable results of one sin. This gives us some idea of the astronomical debt of sin amassed by the accumulated sins of all times.

This helps us understand how heavy was the cross Jesus carried. "He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon Him was the chastisement that makes us whole" (Is 53:5). "The Lord was pleased to crush Him in infirmity" (Is 53:10). The word "crushed" is a great understatement, but it's the best the English language can do.

We can see why Jesus screamed on Calvary: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mk 15:34) No one has ever suffered to a degree that was even remotely comparable to Jesus' suffering. Jesus says: "Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see whether there is any suffering like My suffering" (Lam 1:12).

 
Prayer: Jesus, I love You. Give me the grace to avoid sin and to lead others to become Your disciples.
Promise: Jesus "made the rounds of the neighboring villages instead, and spent His time teaching." —Mk 6:6
Praise: St. Peter denied Christ three times. St. Agatha, as she was being tortured, was asked three times to deny Christ. She held fast to Jesus each time and received the crown of life (see Rv 2:10).

35 posted on 02/05/2014 3:55:46 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Protect the babies and the mothers and fathers!

Say "NO" to Planned Parenthood!

36 posted on 02/05/2014 4:04:00 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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