Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-05-18, M, St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 02-05-18 | Revised New American Bible

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February 5, 2018

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Reading 1 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13

The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)

King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.

When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD's glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said, "The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever."

Responsorial Psalm PS 132:6-7, 8-10

R. (8a) Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter into his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Advance, O LORD, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your majesty.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest!

Alleluia See Mt 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MK 6:53-56

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

[annalex]

53. And after they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
54. And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55. And ran through that the region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
56. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

GLOSS. The Evangelist, having shown the danger which the disciples had sustained in their passage, and their deliverance from it, now shows the place to which they sailed, saying, And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

THEOPHYL. The Lord remained at the above-mentioned place for some time. Therefore the Evangelist subjoins, And when they had come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, that is, the inhabitants of the country.

BEDE; But they knew Him by report, not by His features; or through the greatness of His miracles, even His person was known to some. See too how great was the faith of the men of the land of Gennesaret, so that they were not content with the healing of those who were present, but sent to other towns round about, that all might hasten to the Physician; wherefore there follows, And ran through the whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

THEOPHYL. For they did not call Him to their houses that He might heal them, but rather the sick themselves were brought to Him. Wherefore it also follows, And whithersoever he entered into villages, or cities, or country try, &c. For the miracle which had been wrought on the woman with an issue of blood, had reached the ears of many, and caused in them that great faith, by which they were healed. It goes on, And as many as touched him were made whole.

BEDE; Again, in a mystical sense, do they understand by the hem of His garment the slightest of His commandments, for whoever shall transgress it shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, or else His assumption of our flesh, by which we have come to the Word of God, and afterwards, shall have the enjoyment of His majesty.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Furthermore that which is said, And as many as touched him were made whole, shall be fulfilled, when grief and mourning shall fly away.

Catena Aurea Mark 6

[annalex]

On the Gennesaret Lake

Vassily Polenov

1888
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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Saint Agatha

Franciscan Media

Image: Saint Agatha with her breasts on a charger | Ink drawing | Tommaso Minardi (Caution: link contains graphic content.)

Saint Agatha

Saint of the Day for February 5

(c. 230 – 251)

 

Saint Agatha’s Story

As in the case of Agnes, another virgin-martyr of the early Church, almost nothing is historically certain about this saint except that she was martyred in Sicily during the persecution of Emperor Decius in 251.

Legend has it that Agatha, like Agnes, was arrested as a Christian, tortured, and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated. She was preserved from being violated, and was later put to death.

She is claimed as the patroness of both Palermo and Catania. The year after her death, the stilling of an eruption of Mt. Etna was attributed to her intercession. As a result, apparently, people continued to ask her prayers for protection against fire.

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Reflection

The scientific modern mind winces at the thought of a volcano’s might being contained by God because of the prayers of a Sicilian girl. Still less welcome, probably, is the notion of that saint being the patroness of such varied professions as those of foundry workers, nurses, miners and Alpine guides. Yet, in our historical precision, have we lost an essential human quality of wonder and poetry, and even our belief that we come to God by helping each other, both in action and prayer?

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Saint Agatha is the Patron Saint of:

Diseases of the Breast
Nurses

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Feast of St. Agatha, Patroness of Sicily
St.Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, Third Century

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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

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Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

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.

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CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, 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.

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Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: February 5th

Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr

MASS READINGS

February 05, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

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.

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Recipes (7)

• Cherries Jubilee I
• Cherries Jubilee II
• Flambe Cherry Pie
• Martyrs' Chiffon Dessert
• Whole Wheat Batter Bread
• Whole Wheat Bread I
• Whole Wheat Bread II

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Activities (4)

• Customs on the Feast of St. Agatha
• Nameday Ideas for St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: February
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: February

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Prayers (2)

• Litany of the Saints
• Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

  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.

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  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:
  

  • Bake an Agatha loaf! On St. Agatha's feast day people would bake loaves attached to a picture of St. Agatha and prayers for protection from fires. The parish priests would bless the loaves, and people would keep them in their homes in case of a poor harvest and famine. The prayers would then be hung above the main door of each home to invoke St. Agatha's guardianship.

  • Spanish tradition associates this feast day with ancient fertility customs. Young men would visit many farms throughout the countryside, singing songs of praise to St. Agatha and invoking God's blessing upon people, animals, and fields. However, if they did not receive the customary gifts of money or food for their services, they would call down a 'quick old age' upon the ungrateful inhabitants of that farm. Although most of us do not live in such communities where this kind of custom would be practicable or even understood, we can pray to St. Agatha for a greater openness to the transmission of new life in our culture, and actively affirm and support young couples with children whenever possible.

  • St. Agatha is the patron saint against fire. Take this day to establish a fire escape plan for the family and to practice a family fire drill. Also check the smoke detectors, fire alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors to see if they are all working. Change the batteries on all the alarms! (Idea taken from A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families by Monica McConkey. Used with permission. Write to [email protected] or see Arma Dei for more information about this great book. Treasure Chest is filled with unique ideas for activities, crafts and recipes to help families celebrate the various Seasons and Feast Days of the year.) She also has a couple of excellent websites worth a visit: Equipping Catholic Families and Arma Dei Shop.

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The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 6:53-56

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial)

And as many as touched it were healed. (Mark 6:56)

“Reach out and touch someone.” This popular advertising slogan from years ago could easily be the theme for today’s Gospel story. People scurried to Jesus, knowing that he had comforted and healed many in astonishing ways. They laid aside their everyday tasks and obligations for a time and rushed through the heat and dust to bring him their concerns and sicknesses and needs. They hoped to touch him—even just to touch his clothes. More than that, they hoped to be touched by him. And as many as reached out to him, who touched him, were healed.

You can do the same thing. Jesus is never stingy in offering people the comfort and healing, wisdom and guidance that they need. While you can’t grab the tassels of his clothing, you can take hold of the very things that Jewish tradition says those tassels symbolize: God’s word.

Lay aside your work and responsibilities for a short while. Slog through the heat and dust in your life and touch Jesus. Yes, it might mean getting up a bit earlier or going to bed a bit later or deciding that some activities can wait. Touching Jesus is worth it!

Perhaps he has already used a particular verse in Scripture to stir your heart or encourage you or

gently convict you. Stop and reread it. Perhaps you can take a verse from today’s Gospel or from a beloved psalm—“The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). Sit quietly and listen for what Jesus wants to say to you. Ask him questions and listen for an answer. You’re not wasting your time—you’re touching the tassel of his cloak! Underline that verse in your Bible, copy it into a notebook, or record it somewhere so that you can remember it over the course of days and weeks.

Every time you return to that passage, you can be encouraged anew and healed more. The truth it contains will take root in your thoughts until it becomes part of you. It will become a compass that indicates direction for your days, an anchor for you in difficult times, and a marker showing how much God has done in your life. The tassel of Jesus’ cloak is always at hand. Reach out and touch him today!

“Jesus, I’m reaching out to you today. Stir my heart, teach me, and heal me.”

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
Psalm 132:6-10

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Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for February 5, 2018:

(Reader’s Tip) When you and your spouse have an argument, remember that the goal is not to “win.” The two of you are on the same team, fighting for your marriage, not one another.

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Regnum Christi

February 5, 2018 – Faith and Christ’s Healing Power

04 Feb 2018

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Mark 6:53-56

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Introductory Prayer: I believe in your power of healing grace, in your capacity to heal both physically and spiritually. I come to you in spiritual illness and weakness, confident in your desire to heal and strengthen me. I humbly offer you my soul, wounded and aching from the spiritual cancer of self-love, pride and self-sufficiency. I abandon myself to your loving mercy. Thank you, Lord, for watching over me and loving me unconditionally.

Petition: Lord, heal my heart and soul, and help me to do what I must do to maintain my spiritual health.

1. “People recognized him, and started hurrying all through the countryside.” For the most part, the people in this Gospel were not “hurrying throughout the countryside” to invite others to come and seek forgiveness and spiritual healing from Jesus. They were in haste, yes, but in haste to bring the sick so that the Lord would heal them from their physically infirmities. How blind is the human heart that often fears physical illness more than spiritual infirmities and falling out of God’s grace! The gravest ills we can suffer are those that come from within us: “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20).

2. “They laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak.” Holy men and women throughout the centuries have firmly believed that “touching” Christ through receiving the sacraments brings about spiritual healing and redemption. “My heart has been wounded by many sins,” St. Ambrose used to pray before he celebrated Mass, “my mind and tongue carelessly left unguarded. Lord of kindness and power, in my lowliness and need I am turning to you, the fountain of mercy; I am hurrying to you to be healed; I am taking refuge under your protection. I am longing to meet you, not as my Judge but as my Savior. Lord, I am not ashamed to show you my wounds. Only you know how many and how serious my sins are, and though they could make me fear for my salvation, I am putting my hope in your mercies, which are beyond count. Look on me with mercy, then, Lord Jesus Christ, eternal King, God and man, crucified for our sake. I am putting my trust in you, the fountain that will never stop flowing with merciful love: hear me and forgive my sins and weaknesses.”

3. “All those who touched him were cured.” All those who touched Jesus Christ with the touch of faith were cured: the Canaanite woman, the blind man, the ten lepers, the man with a withered hand, the paralytic, Jairus’ daughter, the woman with the hemorrhage, the boy with a demon, the Gerasene demoniac, the deaf man. All these people in the Gospel had something in common: it was their faith that allowed the Lord to heal them. The phrase used in the case of the woman with the hemorrhage is telling: “power had gone out from him” (Mark 5:30). Faith is one of the most powerful acts of the human person, since God himself chooses to be moved by it. How strong is my faith in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do I reach out and touch him in faith every day? Do I allow him to act in my life through faith? What am I waiting for?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you are all powerful and the source of my salvation and spiritual healing. In this prayer I am reaching out to touch you in faith, even though I am unworthy and my faith is weak. Heal me, Lord. Give me the strength to resist the power of evil in my life and to adhere to your grace and goodness. Lord, I believe; increase my faith.

Resolution: I will offer up short acts of faith in the Lord throughout the day.

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Homily of the Day

February 5, 2018

Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom not only through his teaching and parables but also through healing the sick and expelling evil spirits. Towards the beginning of his public ministry he had proclaimed his task as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah: “‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and announce the Lord’s year of mercy.’ Then he said to them, ‘Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen.'” (Lk 4: 18 – 21)

We see all the people with illnesses crowding to be with him, “to touch just the fringe of his cloak” and be cured. “And all who touched him were cured.”

People came in crowds to listen to him; the Pharisees and the Jewish teachers of the Law came to find fault with him: “Who is this but Joseph’s son?” (Lk 4: 22) “How did this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him that he also performs such miracles?” (Mk 6:2)

When he “violated” the sabbath, “the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had performed this healing on the sabbath day and he said to the people, ‘There are six days in which to work; come on those days to be healed and not on the sabbath.'” (Lk 13: 14)

When Jesus seemed friendly to a public sinner, the Pharisee Simon was scandalized, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman is touching him; isn’t this woman a sinner?” (Lk 7: 35) When he forgave sinners, “How can he speak like this insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?” (Mk 2: 6)

Where do we encounter Jesus in our lives? Where do we hear him? Where do we see him?

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One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 2

<< Monday, February 5, 2018 >>

St. Agatha

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
View Readings

Psalm 132:6-10

Mark 6:53-56
Similar Reflections

"YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE"

"The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud." �1 Kings 8:12

In today's first Eucharistic reading and psalm response, God makes the Temple His home on earth. Yet in the process of dwelling among us, God hides in the dark cloud which fills the Temple (1 Kgs 8:10ff). In today's Gospel reading, Jesus, God incarnate, leaves that Temple and goes out to Gentile territory. Yet shortly thereafter Jesus hides Himself and "wanted no one to recognize Him" (Mk 7:24). The people must search for Him (see Mk 6:55).

It seems that God, in His mystery, chooses to reveal Himself by hiding. In so doing, God reveals He is a Person Who wishes to be known by love. Did you ever hide yourself in your bedroom, hoping that the cute guy or girl in your school would miraculously give you a phone call? If so, you have a glimpse of the feeling the Lord has toward us when He seemingly is hiding from us.

The good news is that, by His hiding, the Lord is available to us all. He doesn't hide due to a lack of love, but rather out of a desire to draw us out of ourselves, away from the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:16). He hides from us because of the intensity of His love for us. God's Word implores us to seek Him while He may be found (Is 55:6). Jesus urges us to seek and we will find (Mt 7:8). Jesus hides on the cross, turning down His glory and humbling Himself. He hides in a tabernacle, in a host, and in the chalice. He hides Himself in His Word.

From the cross, Jesus exclaimed: "I am thirsty" (Jn 19:28). Give Jesus a drink. Search for Him and find Him. Jesus is not hiding from you; He is hiding for you. Make your heart His hiding place, and He will hide Himself in you (Jn 6:56; 17:23).

Prayer: Jesus, give me the strength to bring others through the cloud into Your arms of love.

Promise: "Let us enter into His dwelling, let us worship at His footstool." Ps132:7

Praise: The virgin St. Agatha dedicated herself to her Spouse, giving up her safety, health, and even her life for Jesus.

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For #33

One Bread, One Body

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