Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 21, 2021
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
“He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
How greatly this line improves our vision of today’s gospel! We can easily imagine the smell of the sea, the hot sand sifting through our toes, and the volume of voices crying out to Jesus for healing.
But before we hear this line, we hardly know the number of people who surrounded Jesus, or how few barriers stood between him and them. Suddenly, we are able to feel the sweat on our own skin, smell the scent of other bodies closely pressed to our own, and balance a fear of sickness with an urgent desire to touch Jesus ourselves.
The people’s frenzied reaction to Jesus invites us to consider what they seek from him. Mark’s narrative suggests that only the unclean spirits know the true identity of our Lord. The people do not ask who Jesus is, or why he is able to heal them. Their pragmatic approach to Jesus—their narrow focus on what he can do for them—prods us to ask ourselves whether we treat Jesus in the same way.
Do we only call on Jesus when we need a favor? Do we make a conscious effort to thank him for the ones he has already granted us simply because he loves us? Gratitude for one gift deepens our awareness of how many others the Lord gives us—the love of our families and friends, our membership in His Church, our lives.
How often do we think about Jesus’ true identity? The unclean spirits anticipate the day when Jesus will return in glory as Christ the king. The passage should inspire us to approach Jesus not simply with love for our Savior, but with profound awe and reverence for our great God.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, you choose what the world considers weak to put the worldly power to shame. On this day as we celebrate the birth of Saint Agnes into the eternal joy of your kingdom, may we be loyal to the faith she professed unto the shedding of her blood. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Agnes is one of the most famous early Christian martyrs and is mentioned in one of the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass. She is a patron saint of those seeking chastity and purity because of the legend around her martyrdom.
The story is told that Agnes was a stunningly beautiful girl of thirteen who lived in Rome when Emperor Diocletian began violently persecuting Christians in 303. Young nobles asked for her hand, but she declared herself the bride of Christ. Rebuffed, the young men formally accused her of being a Christian, and she was arrested and brought to trial.
The judge first began to entice her to deny her faith; she flatly refused. He soon turned to threats, and when they had no effect, he had instruments of torture brought forth. Agnes only grew in joy.
The judge knew she valued her purity above all, and threatened to expose her in a house of prostitution, that anyone in the city could come to defile her. “You may stain your sword with my blood,” she said, “but you will never be able to profane my body, which is consecrated to Christ.” The men who approached her in the brothel were awed by her holiness and left her alone.
Her suitors were by now enraged at her stubbornness, and they enticed the judge to order her beheaded. It is said that she went to the place of her execution as joyfully as if she were headed to her wedding.
This legend cannot be proven true, and is likely full of elaboration. Based on archeological evidence, however, it is true that a young girl of thirteen, a virgin named Agnes, was martyred in Rome and honored for her sacrifice. A church was built over her tomb, and her relics venerated.
Agnes is often represented with a lamb because the Latin word for lamb, agnus, resembles her name. Additionally, some traditions say that she was killed by being stabbed in the throat—similar to how lambs are slaughtered.
On this date every year, two white lambs are blessed in the church in Rome that is dedicated to her. The lambs are cared for until it is time for their shearing, and their wool is woven into pallia, small round collars. The pallia are laid upon the altar above the tomb of St. Peter and then sent to new archbishops around the world as a symbol of their authority and union with the pope.
St. Agnes is represented in today's featured image of the mural from the walls of the Basilica.
St. Agnes, the courageous young girl who placed faithfulness over death—pray for us!