The gift of God, the source of all goodness

Today, February 5, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, we are invited to first read and reflect on a passage from the first letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (7: 25-40), entitled "Christian chastity". Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on Saint Agatha by Saint Methodius of Sicily, bishop. St. Agatha is cited in the martyrology of St. Jerome. Although she was one of the most-venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity, the traditional particulars of her martyrdom are of little historical value. Palermo and Catania are both mentioned as her possible birthplace, and tradition holds that she was born in 231 to wealthy and noble parents. Having consecrated her virginity to God at a young age, she resisted the advances of a Roman prefect sent by the emperor Decius to govern Sicily. Her profession of faith and rejection of the prefect resulted in her brutal torture, during which her breasts were cut off (a condition often reflected in her iconography). During her imprisonment, she famously had a vision of St. Peter the Apostle, who is said to have comforted her and healed her wounds with his prayers. She was sent to the stake, but, according to some accounts, as soon as the fire was lighted, an earthquake occurred, causing the people to insist upon her release; she then allegedly died in prison in 251. Saint Methodius was born in Sicily in the late 8th century. Since his parents were prosperous, they were able to send him to the imperial city of Constantinople for further education. There Methodius responded to a vocation to monastic life. He suffered persecution at the hands of iconoclastic emperors but was ultimately elected bishop and patriarch of Constantinople. In 843 he presided over the formal restoration of icons, an event celebrated annually in Orthodox Churches and known as "the Triumph of Orthodoxy." Since Methodius died in Constantinople in 847, he is also known as Methodius of Constantinople and, since he is the first of several patriarchs by the same name, St. Methodius I. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul warns against divisions within the Church and emphasizes the importance of unity among Church members. He warns members against sexual immorality, teaches that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and encourages self-discipline.