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Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Agatha.
St. Agatha was a Christian young woman who lived in Palermo, Sicily; at age 15, a very pretty young lady, many sought her hand in marriage. The Roman Proconsul Quintianus desired Agatha for himself, but she rejected his advances. As a result she was charged with being a Christian and brought before his tribunal. .She was ordered to deny her faith, but she would not. To make her change her mind, she was placed for one month in a brothel with other women who pressured Agatha to give up her chastity. After 30 days of this she was again interrogated by Quintianus; but she told him: ‘true liberty is to be a servant of Jesus Christ.’ He then had her stretched on the rack, her flesh torn with iron hooks and her skin burned with torches. Yet throughout these sufferings she maintained a heavenly cheerfulness.
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Quintianus became outraged; he then went so far as to have her breasts cut off. She rebuked him for his barbarism: “Godless tyrant, are you not ashamed to despoil a woman of that by which your own mother nursed you?” For this she was thrown into prison.
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That night, there appeared to her a venerable old man, the apostle Peter, who came and healed her. Thanking God she said: ‘I give you praise O Lord, because by your apostle you have restored my breasts”.
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Not impressed by the miraculous healings, the governor had her rolled over hot coals and sharp pieces of glass. As she was dying she said: O Lord, good Master, I give You thanks that You have given me patience to suffer, and have granted me victory. May I now dwell happily in Your never-ending glory.
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It is said that a young man in beautiful garments, along with a hundred youths in white, came and placed a plaque at her grave and then vanished from sight. It was the year 251 AD. The name of St. Agatha is still honored in Eucharistic Prayer I to this day. She is the patron saint of nurses, and of those with breast cancer.
She was ordered to deny her faith, but she would not. To make her change her mind, she was placed for one month in a brothel with other women who pressured Agatha to give up her chastity. After 30 days of this she was again interrogated by Quintianus; but she told him: ‘true liberty is to be a servant of Jesus Christ.’ He then had her stretched on the rack, her flesh torn with iron hooks and her skin burned with torches. Yet throughout these sufferings she maintained a heavenly cheerfulness.