Womanhood under attack – Why St. Agatha is important today.

Who Was St. Agatha?

St. Agatha was an early church martyr. She was born around the year 231 in Sicily to a prosperous family. She had a deep love of the Lord and decided to live as a consecrated virgin. Agatha was very beautiful and caught the eye of several suitors, including a Roman prefect named Quintianus.

Quintianus wanted to marry Agatha, although it is unclear from all of the different accounts whether he thought he was in love with her or if he just lusted after her. Be that as it may, it seems that if he were living today he’d be considered an abusive man. Because Agatha preferred to be a virgin for Christ, he sent her to a brothel where she suffered humiliation. Reading between the lines, there she was probably raped and abused, but she did not give in. 

Seeing that she could not be intimidated or coerced, she was subjected to torture of the kind I can’t even imagine. She was stretched on the rack and burned with red-hot irons. Some accounts say her breasts were removed, Others that her breasts were otherwise painfully mutilated. 

Agatha rebuked the governor: 

 “Godless, cruel, infamous tyrant, are you not ashamed to despoil a woman of that by which your own mother nursed you?”

That alone did not kill Agatha. The legend goes that while she was suffering from her wounds, a venerable old man appeared to her and offered to help her heal. Agatha was understandably reluctant to reveal her injuries to a stranger.

The man told her, “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.

Agatha died before the age of 20 in prison, but her story spread throughout Christendom.

Why is Agatha important for young women today?

St. Agatha is beloved for her inner beauty and strength. She is remembered as a saint because her most feminine attributes were attacked to trying and make her conform to the norms of her day. Her purity and Christianity was abhorred by the culture making the attack on St. Agatha even more brutal and ugly.

The same thing is happening today. Young women are encouraged and influenced to hide or eliminate their fertility and femininity, or even worse, men trying to be women are attempting to reduce womanhood to their version of what it means to be a woman. And ultimately, that’s why the attack on St. Agatha was even more brutal, and her attempt to live her life as a consecrated virgin was attacked by a culture that found it abhorrent.

Patroness

St. Agatha is also the patroness of fire prevention.

Agatha is one of the saints mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer.

Remember, Lord, those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, especially those for whom we now pray, {names deceased loved ones whom the celebrant or parishioner wishes to offer before God}. May these, and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness, and peace. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen.]

She is also the patroness of breast cancer patients. I was with my friend when she came out of surgery following her double mastectomy. Despite the miracles of modern anesthesia and pain killers, she was in a lot of pain. Seeing that gives me all the more respect for what Agatha endured.

For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs, with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, [Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia] and all the saints. Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord.

How to commemorate the day:

• Pray for Breast cancer patients.
• Pray for new mothers who are having trouble nursing their babies.
• Pray for all victims of torture and sexual abuse.
• Practice modesty in dress, particularly in tops, bathing suits and dresses.
• Learn how to do self-breast exams and do them regularly.

A prayer to St. Agatha:

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.