Courage for the Gospel

While we do not know many details of St Agatha, whose feast we celebrate today, tradition holds that during the Decius Persecution, late in the second century, Agatha refused to marry a man.  The man promised to save her from persecution if she would consent to marriage.  When again she refused, she was subjected to the indignities of torture and death.

For St. Agatha her values, commensurate and informed by the values of the Sacred Scripture, had a higher value.  More so, these values were so important as for her to risk her life.  St. Methodius writes about her in a homily, and essentially states that her goodness coincides with her good name.  We might even go farther and say that since she is named with Christ in Baptism, her decisions and choices are made according to the sacredness of that holy name.  Drawn into communion with Christ Jesus, all that we do and say ought to respond to the dignity that is ours in Christ.

I was listening to a podcast earlier of a young man who had for a time left the catholic Church, and has now returned to it.  While he was in a non-denomiatinal he participated in many social justice projects.  It was through these same projects, and the reintroduction to the Mass, that he came back to the Church.  His Catholicism would be considered by many to be radical.  He lives in near poverty in an inner city neighborhood of Camden, NJ, trying to create small communities.  In a real way he is giving his life for the Gospel.

Again and again, especially today, we cannot merely see our faith as doing "nice things," but rather we have to be profound.  The martyrs and early Christians remind us that we have to live at the edge of our faith.  The woman with the hemorrhage from today's Gospel was bold in her seeking and moving towards Jesus.  She would not allow any obstacle from stopping her from at least touching the tassel of his cloak.  If we want healing  and peace we have to have that same courage and faith.