SAINT AGNES OF ROME
Saint Agnes is honored as a Virgin Martyr in the Church’s liturgical calendar each year with a Memorial on January 21st. Agnes was martyred in Rome in the last half of the Third Century for protecting her virginity and honoring her decision to give her life and exclusive love to the Lord Jesus in spite of many suitors who tried to make her change her mind with the offering of gifts and promises of wealth and comfort and a life of privilege. The amazing fact about Agnes is that according to Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose she was only twelve years old at the time of her martyrdom. An exceptional young girl who should inspire not only other girls to do the right thing according to the values of our holy faith but also all of us to be unafraid in manifesting a true example of Christian faith and example in our daily lives. According to tradition, Agnes was a beautiful girl, who refused marriage proposals from many suitors, stating that she would have no spouse but Jesus Christ. Angry at her rejections, one of her suitors revealed her faith. Christianity during that period was outlawed. She was arrested and in
punishment was confined in a brothel. Impressed by her purity and presence, all but one of the young men left her untouched; in his attempt to violate her, the sole attacker was struck blind, whereupon Agnes miraculously healed him with prayer. After refusing to renounce her faith, she was condemned to death and martyred during the persecution of the Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian and was buried beside the Via Nomentana where the daughter of Constantine built a basilica in her honor. The early Christian virgins held a deep respect for their physical bodies which expressed itself as an unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, which enabled them to even defy worldly authority.
The early Christian virgin viewed the integrity of her physical body as synonymous with the purity of her faith, her purpose, her self-determination, her honor, and indeed, her very self.
In Christian iconography Agnes is pictured with a palm branch representing her martyrdom and a lamb since her name is similar to the name for “lamb” in Latin; agnus. On the day of her memorial the Pope blesses two lambs whose wool is then used to weave the Pallia to be blessed on June 29 and sent to Archbishops throughout the world as a sign of their ecclesiastical jurisdiction and their unity with the Pope.
Agnes shows us that holiness does not depend on one’s age, experience, or human effort. Holiness is a gift which God offers to each of us. Most of us will not be required to suffer martyrdom for our holy faith. However, all of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior are expected to live our faith in an authentic and true manner so that its truth is evident to those around us who might then be awed with the power and grace it imparts to those who believe.