Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 21, 2023
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
One of my favorite activities with my high school students is reading through the Gospel of Mark, and I always notice how quickly it moves.
In the first chapter, Jesus is healing the sick, sharing meals with outcasts, calling disciples, and gathering crowds. Mark shows the urgency of the ministry of Jesus and the exponential growth of his followers. In this context, we can understand more about his family’s concerns. What kind of ministry is he starting, and what will he do next?
St. Agnes, the early Christian martyr we celebrate today, raised similar questions. When I learned about her while choosing Confirmation saints, I remember reading about her and other young girls who refused their families’ plans for them to be married. Some went to extremes, even to martyrdom, to follow their call from God.
At the time, I wasn’t sure how to connect with a story like hers, so I chose St. Teresa of Avila, whose writing and leadership in her community seemed more relatable.
So, what do we learn today from Mark and from St. Agnes? In reflecting on this passage and today’s saint, I thought of a quotation on the hallway of the school where I teach that reads in part, “All are called to a holy boldness—to do things for the greater glory of God.”
I don’t think we are often called to follow God by opposing those closest to us in such dramatic ways. But, as we work to follow God and make a better world, perhaps worrying less about what others think would be a bold first step.
Prayer
Father in heaven, in your infinite wisdom you created the human race in your image. In doing so, you allow us to encounter your beauty and mystery in the face of our brothers and sisters. Help us to see traces of your goodness in the lives of those around us, especially in those whom our society treats as expendable. Your Son teaches us to approach people on the periphery with a radical love, one that can be difficult for others to understand. Help us, heavenly Father, to love and work for the good of all people: for the elderly who are often forgotten, for the poor who discomfort the comfortable, and for the unborn, whose vulnerability demands of us our attention and protection. 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!