{"id":3092,"date":"2008-01-21T16:24:11","date_gmt":"2008-01-21T16:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2008\/01\/saint-agnes-virgin-and-martyr\/"},"modified":"2014-01-21T08:10:09","modified_gmt":"2014-01-21T07:10:09","slug":"saint-agnes-virgin-and-martyr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2008\/01\/saint-agnes-virgin-and-martyr\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"st_agnes%20domenchino.jpg\"<\/a>1 Corinthians 1:26-31
\nPsalm 22: 1b-3a, 4, 5, 6
\nMatthew 13:44-46<\/em><\/p>\n

A Winter Constellation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wintertime liturgy sparkles with a constellation of virgin martyrs and holy women. The Roman Canon enshrines their names: Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia and Anastasia. In the darkest months of the year, they shine like so many little flames taken from the Paschal Candle in the great and holy night of the Resurrection. Today, we fix our gaze on Agnes.<\/p>\n

If I Love Him<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Office of Saint Agnes is one of the most beautiful in the Roman Liturgy. Meditate it. Take it to heart today. It expresses all the sentiments of the little virgin martyr\u2019s pure and passionate heart. \u201cChrist is my Lover,\u201d she sings in the Third Responsory at Matins, \u201cand I am entering with Him into the marriage-chamber. . . . The instruments of His music sound sweetly in my ears. If I love Him I shall be chaste, if I touch Him I shall be clean, if I embrace Him I shall be a virgin indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Christian Child<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agnes was a mere child, a little girl of twelve. The year was 304, during the persecution of Diocletian. According to Roman law, a child of twelve was not held responsible for her choices and could not therefore be subject to trial and judgment. But Christians fell outside the pale of Roman law, and Agnes was a Christian.<\/p>\n

What are we to make of these child saints and of others like them? Our Lord places them before us, saying, \u201cTruly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven\u201d (Mt 18:2). \u201cTo the boastful, I say: \u2018Do not boast,\u2019 to the wicked: \u2018Do not flaunt your strength, do not flaunt your strength on high. Do not speak with insolent pride\u2019\u201d (Ps 74:5-6).<\/p>\n

The Child Teacher<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is with little ones, \u201cfoolish in the eyes of the world\u201d (1 Cor 1:27) that God shames the wise. It is with these little ones, \u201cthe weak in the world\u201d (1 Cor 1:27) that God shames the strong. It is with these little ones, \u201clow and despised in the world\u201d (1 Cor 1:28) that God silences the boasting of the high and mighty. Saint Ambrose puts all his eloquence into praising Agnes: \u201cShe is not grown of stature to fight the battle, but she is ripe for the triumph; too weak to run in the race, and yet clearly entitled to the prize; unable from her age to be aught but a learner, she is found a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shepherd and the Lamb<\/strong><\/p>\n

The choice of the Responsorial Psalm was inspired by the name Agnes derived both from the Greek for \u201cpure\u201d and the Latin for \u201clamb.\u201d Agnes is the pure lamb; Christ is the Shepherd. The familiar Psalm 22 thus becomes her song. Agnes the lamb sings the psalm of Christ the Shepherd in the midst of the Church. The fourth verse of the psalm evokes the passion and martyrdom of the saint. \u201cFor though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me\u201d (Ps 22:4).<\/p>\n

Perfect Charity Casteth Out Fear<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his treatise On Virginity<\/em>, Saint Ambrose says: \u201cGirls of her age tend to wilt under the slightest frown from a parent. Pricked by a needle, they cry as if given a mortal wound. But Agnes showed no fear of the blood-stained hands of her executioners.\u201d He tells us that while the executioner shook as though he himself were the criminal, and the faces of bystanders turned white at the sight, Agnes all the while remained without fear. \u201cI will fear no evils\u201d (Ps 22:4). Saint John gives the explanation: \u201cFear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear\u201d (1 Jn 4:18).<\/p>\n

Chosen in Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Appropriately then, the Alleluia Verse focuses on love, twice repeating the verb so often heard in the mouth of Christ in the fourth gospel: abide. \u201cAbide, remain, make thy home in my love,\u201d says the Lord; \u201cwhoever abides, remains, makes his home in me and I in him will bear much fruit\u201d (cf. Jn 15:9b, 5b). The Latin of the Roman Lectionary uses the word dilectio<\/em> for love. Manete in dilectione mea<\/em>. Dilectio<\/em> is that love by which one distinguishes another by selecting him from others. Dilectio<\/em> is the love that chooses another. Jesus is, in fact, saying in today\u2019s Alleluia Verse, \u201cAbide in my choice of thee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saint Agnes understood that she was chosen. She sings, \u201cMy Lord Jesus Christ hath espoused me with His ring, and hath set on my head a crown as the crown of the bride.\u201d The ring and the crown are the traditional symbols of the virgin consecrated to Christ. They represent Our Lord\u2019s election of a particular soul, the choice of His love. The secret of consecrated virginity is one\u2019s assent to the choice made by Jesus, who says, \u201cYou have not chosen me: but I have chosen you\u201d (Jn 15:16). The consecrated virgin elects to abide forever in the Divine Bridegroom\u2019s election of her.<\/p>\n

Stability<\/strong><\/p>\n

The notion of abiding is akin to dwelling, to stability, and to permanence. Agnes, while yet a child, found her home, her stability, her unshakable permanence in Christ\u2019s choice of her. The liturgy of virgins applies to them the word of the psalm: \u201cGod is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved\u201d (Ps 45:6). Agnes, abiding in Christ\u2019s choice of her, became the abode of charity \u2014 ag\u00e1pe, sacrificial love \u2014 and charity abiding in her drove out fear.<\/p>\n

Purchasing the Treasure<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look for the link between the Alleluia Verse and the Gospel. Consider the costliness of the treasure in the field (Mt 13:44) and the pearl of great price purchased by nothing less than all that one has (Mt 13:45). Stability in Christ\u2019s choice of us, and freedom from fear, are not bought cheaply. Both are costly. Both demand a total investment, an investment deemed foolish by the worldly-wise: all that one has.<\/p>\n

The Spendthrift Virgin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agnes, a little child, took a foolish risk. She gave all that she had. \u201cThe crowds,\u201d says Saint Ambrose, \u201cmarvelled at her spendthrift attitude to life, discarding it untasted, but as if she had lived it to the full.\u201d Unlike the daughter of Jephthah who asked of her father two months to wander on the mountains and bewail her virginity (cf. Jg 11:37), Agnes went with willing and joyful steps to the place of her execution.
\n
\nToward the Banquet of Love Crucified<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agnes, pure lamb of the Shepherd-Christ, child-bride of the Lamb without stain, obtain for us who, at least, share thy weakness, a like share in the wisdom of thy folly. Lead us to the Banquet prepared by charity upon the altar, to the Banquet of Love Crucified, that we, like thee, may abide in Love\u2019s choice of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Psalm 22: 1b-3a, 4, 5, 6 Matthew 13:44-46 A Winter Constellation The wintertime liturgy sparkles with a constellation of virgin martyrs and holy women. The Roman Canon enshrines their names: Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia and Anastasia. In the darkest months of the year, they shine like so many little flames <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-saints","category-virgin-martyr-saints"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paVypq-NS","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3092"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5856,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092\/revisions\/5856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}