BRAVE WOMEN IN HISTORY: SAINT AGATHA

SAINT AGATHA

THE STORY OF SAINT AGATHA IS WELL KNOWN AMONG PEOPLE OF CATHOLIC FAITH.

IT IS A VERY SAD STORY THAT DEPICTS HUMAN DEPRAVITY AND THE CRUELTY OF LIFE THAT CERTAIN SAINTLY BEINGS HAVE HAD TO ENDURE.

SAINT AGATHA WAS A VERY BEAUTIFUL SICILIAN WOMAN BELONGING TO HIGH NOBILITY, WHO LIVED IN THE SECOND CENTURY AFTER THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.

SHE WAS A DEVOUTLY RELIGIOUS CHRISTIAN WHO BELIEVED IN PRESERVING HER VIRGINITY ONLY FOR JESUS CHRIST.

THE STORY OF HER MARTYRDOM WAS RECORDED AFTER HER DEATH IN THE YEAR 251 AND PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION IN THE FOLLOWING CENTURIES UP TO THE PRESENT TIME.

ARCHBISHOP JACOBUS DE VORAGINE

IN THE YEAR 1275, JACOBUS DE VORAGINE, THE ARCHBISHOP OF GENOA, RECORDED THE STORY OF SAINT AGATHA, WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSLATED INTO OLD ENGLISH IN THE YEAR 1483.

ROMAN EMPEROR DECIUS

WHEN THE ROMANS INVADED ANE RULED SICILY UNDER EMPEROR DECIUS, QUINTIANUS, THE ROMAN PROVOST OF SICILY, FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NOBLEWOMAN AGATHA AND WANTED HER FOR HIS WIFE.

" St. Agatha the virgin was right fair, noble body and of heart, and was rich of goods. This glorious virgin served God in the city of Catania, leading a pure and holy life. Quintianus the provost of Sicily, being of a low lineage, was lecherous, avaricious, and a miscreant and paynim, and for to accomplish his evil desires fleshly, and to have riches, did do take St. Agatha to be presented and brought tofore him, and began to behold her with a lecherous sight; and for to have her himself, he would have induced her to make sacrifice unto the idols."

WHEN SHE REJECTED HIS AMOROUS ADVANCES, QUINTIANUS CAPTURED HER AND PLACED HER IN A BROTHEL.

" And when he saw her firm in her purpose, he put her in the keeping of a woman named Aphrodisia, which had nine daughters, over foul, like unto the mother. This did he for to induce St. Agatha to do his will within thirty days. Aphrodisia and her daughters entreated the holy virgin to consent to the will of the provost, and sometime they made to her great promises of temporal goods and of great eases, and sometimes they made to her menaces of grievous torments for to suffer, and great pains, to which St. Agatha answered freely: My courage and my thought be so firmly founded upon the firm stone of Jesu Christ, that for no pain it may not be changed; your words be but wind, your promises be but rain, and your menaces be as rivers that pass, and how well that all these things hurtle at the foundement of my courage, yet for that it shall not move."

WHEN AGATHA RESISTED ATTEMPTS TO FORCE HER INTO PROSTITUTION, THE CRUEL QUINTIANUS ORDERED THAT SHE BE TORTURED AND THAT BOTH OF HER BREASTS BE CUT OFF.

" Then Quintianus did her to be tormented in her breasts and paps, and commanded that her breasts and mammels should be drawn and cut off. When the ministers had accomplished his commandment, then said St. Agatha: Over felon and cruel tyrant, hast thou no shame to cut off that in a woman which thou didst suck in thy mother, and whereof thou wert nourished? But I have my paps whole in my soul, of which I nourish all my wits, the which I have ordained to serve our Lord Jesu Christ, sith the beginning of my youth."

WHILE IMPRISONED, SAINT AGATHA WAS VISITED BY SAINT PETER WHO HEALED THE WOUNDS ON HER CHEST.

" After, Quintianus did do put her in prison, and commanded that none should enter for to heal her, ne none should give to her meat ne drink. And when she was fast closed in the prison, there came an ancient noble man, and tofore him a child bearing a light, and divers ointments in his hand. This noble man said that he was a surgeon, and in comforting her said: How well that the tyrant hath tormented thee bodily, nevertheless thou hast more tormented him in his heart by thy answers. I was there when he made thy paps to be cut off, and saw how I might well heal them.

Then said she: I knew never of medicine corporal, and it were shame to me to take it now. That which I have avowed and kept to my Lord, sith mine infancy, yet I shall keep it if it please him.

The ancient nobleman answered: I am also Christian, and a good master and leech, be not ashamed.

She answered: Whereof should I be ashamed? Thou art ancient and of great age, and how well that I be a young maid, nevertheless my body is defeated by the torments, that the wounds suffer nothing to enter into my thought whereof I should be ashamed, and not for but I thank thee fair father that thou art so diligent to heal me, but know that my body shall receive no medicine of no man.

And this nobleman said: Wherefore sufferest thou not me that I may heal and guerish thee?

She said: Because I have Jesu Christ, my Saviour, which with a word healeth all, and if he will he may heal me.

And the good man smiling said: And he hath sent me hither for to heal thee; I am his apostle, and know verily that thou art whole in the name of him, and anon the apostle vanished away."

TEMPORARILY HEALED, SAINT AGATHA STILL EVENTUALLY SUCCUMBED TO OTHER ACTS OF TORTURE ORDERED BY THE CRUEL AND INHUMAN QUINTIANUS.

" After four days Quintianus made her to be brought tofore him in judgment, and said to her that she should do sacrifice to the idols.

She answered: These words be vain, and thy commandments evil, they make the air to stink, he is much mechant [wicked] that believeth in a stone without entendment, and leaveth our Lord the very God that hath healed me, and hath restored to me again my paps.

Quintianus demanded her: Who is he that hath healed thee?

She said: Jesu Christ.

Quintianus said: Namest thou yet Jesu Christ?

She answered: I shall have in my heart Jesu Christ as long as I shall live.

Quintianus said: Yet shalt thou see if he may help and heal thee. And then he made her, all naked, to be rolled upon burning brands, and anon the ground where the holy virgin was rolled on, began to tremble like an earthquave, and a part of the wall fell down upon Silvain, counsellor of Quintianus, and upon Fastion his friend, by whose counsel she had been so tormented. And then all the city of Catania was abashed, and the people came running unto the house of Quintianus, saying, in a great bruit, that the city was in a great peril for the torments that he did to St. Agatha.

Quintianus redoubled the bruit of the people, and went out behind and commanded that she should be remised in prison. When she came into the prison she joined her hands, holding them up to heavenward, and said in praying: Lord God Jesu Christ which hast created me of nought, and sith my youth hast kept me and hast suffered me to live well in my youth, which hast taken from mine heart the love of the world and hast made me to overcome the torments, and hast lent me patience among the pains, I pray thee that thou take my spirit, for it is time that thou make me to depart from this world and to come to thy mercy.

This orison and prayer made she on high tofore many persons. And anon after she gave up the ghost, and rendered her soul, the year of our Lord two hundred and fifty-three in the time of Decius, the emperor of Rome."