9781644135945

The Light of the World
of the kingdom of God. The governor spared no means to overcome her resolution to preserve
her virginity. Nevertheless Agatha remained firm and unshaken in her resolution. She knew
well what was necessary for the true happiness of man. Resplendent with the double crown of
virginity and bloody martyrdom, she advanced to meet her heavenly bridegroom.
“Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival day in honor of blessed Agatha, virgin and
martyr, at whose passion the angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God” (Introit). The
joy of victory today fills the Church on earth and in heaven. Agatha’s victory is indeed the
victory of Christ; it is the triumph of His power and His grace; it is the triumph of the head
in His members, the triumph of Christ in His Church. In the person of Agatha the power of
Christ, the power of Christianity, becomes manifest. That same power and grace is always
at our disposal also. Like Agatha we are members of the body of Christ, and His grace and
strength flow through our members.
The life that Agatha lived, the works that she wrought, the sufferings she endured, the
prayers she offered, and the victory she won, belong to me and to the entire Church of Christ.
Today in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we offer the sufferings, merits and victory of Agatha
as a reparation and compensation for our own deficiencies and faults, as an atonement and
satisfaction for our failings and our sins, as a petition for additional help and grace. We rejoice
in the victory of our sister in Christ. We thank Him that He has given her the strength and
fortitude necessary for victory.
In the liturgy Agatha is a type of the Church and of the Christian soul. For this reason
she is today the bridesmaid of those who celebrate the Mass with her. In the Offertory we
behold the virgins in her train, and by her we are ushered into the presence of Christ in the
celebration of the Mass. Today with St. Agatha we are determined to be faithful in love and
purity, and for this reason we offer our gift of bread and wine, and with it our very selves,
that we may live like other Agathas.
Prayer
O God, who among other miracles of Thy power hast granted even to the weaker sex the victory
of martyrdom, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who celebrate the festival of blessed Agatha,
Thy virgin and martyr, may walk to Thee by her example. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
February 10, St. Scholastica
St. Scholastica (d. about 542), the beloved sister of St. Benedict, was consecrated to Christ the
Lord from early childhood. The liturgy honors her today especially as a type of the consecrated
bride burning with love for her divine spouse.
Scholastica is the bride of Christ. The Gospel of the Mass describes the virgin awaiting the arrival
of the bridegroom with a burning lamp in her hand. Her heart belonged to her spouse, and for
this reason Scholastica, from her early childhood, turned her back on the world and centered
her undivided interest on the heavenly bridegroom. She lived a life of seclusion and of prayer,
communing unceasingly with her spouse. It is not surprising that she manages to exercise such
a great influence over His heart and hand.
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