Today the church celebrates the memory of St. Agnes, a powerful Christian martyr of the very early 4th century. Agnes was a young girl when she suffered martyrdom, reported to be about the age of 12. It is reported that even as a very young child, her faith was strong. The faith of this little girl was an inspiration to many.
Understanding God's love for her, Agnes, despite her youthfulness, declared that she would remain a virgin, consecrated to God, forever. This only encouraged the son of the Roman governor to attempt to seduce her. Agnes remained strong and refused the overtures of the young man. She must have known that the son had the power to accuse her of simply being a Christian, a crime in Rome at the time.
The governor himself was taken by the faith and beauty of Agnes and gave her a chance to save her life. He offered her great gifts if she would only renounce God, renounce Christianity and pledge her faith to the Emperor. She refused. Instead, she persevered in prayer and overcame the hardship of arrest and torture.
She was finally condemned to die, and praying and praising God, bravely endured her martyrdom at the hands of a sword weilding executioner.
It is said that there was no fear in the eyes of young Agnes but great fear in the eyes of her executioner.
In our current day world, we can draw great hope and courage from St. Agnes. We too can pledge our lives to be pure, devoted to God and willing to give our all to Him.
St Agnes, pray for us!
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