Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr
St. Agatha is honored today in the Roman calendar. She suffered martyrdom for the faith in the mid-third century.
Yesterday I wrote about St. John the Baptist and witnessing for the Christian faith in a secular age. Today, I want to write about witnessing our faith in ordinary ways. That’s paradoxical because St. Agatha gave her life for Christ in an extraordinary way. She first lived her faith in ordinary ways. She lived as a Christian when Christianity had been disowned by the Roman Emperor Decius and made a pariah to Roman society. St. Agatha willingly sacrificed her privileged life and freedom by being a Christian.
The point of her example, and that of countless other saints, is that Christianity is more often “caught than taught,” meaning it is best spread by living a holy life. To live a holy life simply means living as God wants us to. A simple act of kindness to a stranger like helping a motorist with a flat tire, opening a door for someone at a store, or offering your seat to someone on a bus. All these
to see Jesus in us. You become an “altar Christus,” another Christ, to those you meet. Amen.
Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections