January 21: Saint Agnes / Santa Inés

There are few Saints from the first several centuries of the Church who have been as popular and inspiring at St. Agnes. At a time of severe persecutions against the Church and massive defections from the Church, she endured (in 305 AD) great personal suffering and eventually martyrdom. It is thought that she was only 12 or 13 years of age when she died, but she showed how God had blessed her with deep faith and a willingness to die for that faith.

It is a strange paradox that the goodness of some brings out malice in others. Yet Jesus (see Mark 3, 1-6) and St. Agnes were faithful to the work that God gave them to do, regardless of the offense it gave to some. Both of them teach us that goodness is its own reward. After all, we try to be faithful to the will of God in order to please God and not because of any material benefit or public notoriety. We are invited each day to assume our share in Jesus’ work of serving others, even though it may, at times, bring us suffering. May St. Agnes intercede well for us as we respond to God’s invitation today.

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Pocos santos han sido tan populares como la niña de doce o trece años, Santa Inés. En un tiempo de masivas defecciones de la fe, en el año 305, aguantó la tortura del martirio con sano idealismo y con paciente fidelidad. En ella, vemos que todos nosotros, también los jóvenes, son capaces de adoptar difíciles decisiones. Su nombre se deriva o del griego agnos (pura) o del latín agnus (cordero). 

Oremos. “Oh Dios, la juventud y la inocencia no son obstáculo para comprender el mensaje de tu Hijo y para seguirle con valor. Que la callada fuerza de Santa Inés nos inspire a no avergonzarnos de tu Hijo y de su mensaje de vida y libertad, aunque tengamos que afrontar contradicciones. Ya que llevamos, como discípulos fieles,  el nombre de tu Hijo, ayúdanos a ser siempre fieles a Él, porque Él es nuestro Señor y Salvador por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.”