St. Agatha was born in Sicily, the beautiful daughter of wealthy parents. At an early age, she consecrated herself to God.
Agatha lived during the time when Christians were persecuted for their faith. Because of her beauty and her wealth, she was pursued by the governor of Sicily, Quintianus. She rejected his proposals and he had her arrested, charged as a Christian and sent to live in a house of prostitution where he hoped she would be forced to change her life. She prayed and wept and remained faithful to God despite the humiliation she suffered and the assaults she endured. Agatha miraculously maintained her virginity and after a month, Quintianus had her thrown in prison where she continued to profess her Christian faith. To torture her, he had her stretched and burned with torches and finally had her breasts cut off. Thrown back in prison to die, Agatha was comforted by a vision of St. Peter who healed all of her wounds. After four days, she was taken back to Quintianus who was not the least bit impressed by her miraculous cures. He ordered her to be rolled over hot coals and glass and returned to prison. With this final prayer, “Lord, my Creator, You have always protected me from the cradle; You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Receive my soul”, Agatha died.
Feast Day: February 5
Name Meaning: good, virtuous
Patron Saint: bell ringers, breast cancer, bakers, against fire, nurses, wet nurses, martyrs
No comments:
Post a Comment