Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Agatha, also known as Agatha of Sicily. She is a virgin and martyr of the Church. St. Agatha was a beautiful young lady who had dedicated her life to God and became a consecrated virgin from her young days. However, she was much sought after by men; nevertheless, St. Agatha was faithful to her vow. This dedication led her to a lot of suffering, imprisonment and even death. We may have heard of the torture she underwent by a man who was interested in her, but she was strong in the Lord and was able to smile at the moment of the greatest suf-fering, which led to her breasts being cut off. Her torture increased and so did her love for the Lord. These were her words in prison,

“Lord, my Creator, You have protected me since I was in the cradle. You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Now receive my spirit.”

Today’s readings beautifully present the life of St. Agatha and the calling upon her life, which gave her the determination to hold on and persevere despite many hardships. In the Gospel proclamation we see the same take place in the life of St. John the Baptist. Both these saints were living a life of praise. Their external circumstances did not change, in fact they got worse. But what changed was the way they dealt with their suffering. There was thanksgiving, praise and worship that were built in their hearts. As a result, they experienced heaven right in the heart of the fire.

In the First Reading, St. Paul is inviting us into this same experience (vs. 6-9). He is inviting us to imitate the lives of the saints, because God is our helper, and therefore we have no reason to be afraid as there is nothing people can do to harm us. Today’s readings invite us to break away from ourselves, from the bubble that we often tend to live in and instead to turn to a life of praising, thanking and wor-shipping God through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the middle of any circumstance. This will then open the door to God’s blessings.

Prayer: Abba Father, today we choose to live a life of praise, thanksgiving and worship. Give us the Grace to walk in your ways. Amen