MEMORIAL OF ST AGATHA WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, FEBRUARY 5, 2025
- Olivia Bannan
- Feb 5
- 2 min read
MASS READINGS
GOSPEL
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them,“ A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
REFLECTION
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Have we ever doubted? Doubted God? His promises, His love?
We take at face value and therefore believe that the earth is round, that there will be a sunrise and a sunset, four seasons and what we witness with our own eyes is real. We believe because it has been proven or we witness it.
Though the prophets told of the coming of the Messiah, though miracles were witnessed by the crowd, there still was that doubt?
Faith in God is putting all my trust in Him as my only hope.
“It is participating in the life of God. Every moment of your life is a moment of meeting with the Presence that is loving you. You can go to Him with all your imperfections and weaknesses. He will repair what you have done wrong and complete all that you lack.” (1)
No one else can deliver us. Who will help us in times when we are in a fix? They could not believe Jesus was God incarnate and, therefore, they were unable to have the miracle of God in them.
St Agatha had tremendous faith in God. Refusing to be the mistress of the Roman governor, she refused to denounce her faith. She was brutally and fatally tortured by the governor. Her faith sustained her. Her faith gave her eternal life, eternal salvation —union with Jesus Himself.
We can partake and strengthen our faith with daily Mass, receiving the glorified body of Christ.
Has God ever given us reason to doubt Him? Will He be amazed at our answer?
(1) The Gift of Faith, Father Tadeusz Dajczer
God bless you
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Thank you, yours truly, for the correction. Only God can give you eternal life. Faith is a gift from God. Great teaching.
Olivia 9 hours ago Reply
Salve Olivia:
God bless you for writing.
Is it a true statement to say that "her faith gave her eternal life, eternal salvation - union with Jesus himself?"
Is it true?
If yes, then faith is God?! Only God could give you eternal life, now faith could do the same as well. Does not that make faith equal to God?
Let's think again.
Does faith give you eternal life or God does? Choose one.
If faith does, then faith is God.
But is it true that faith is God?
Of course not.
Let's rethink how to write this idea of faith in such a way that it will not conflate and equate faith with God.
Let's make it clear. There…