Today January 21

Today is the feast of St. Agnes, virgin, died circa 304. This lovely young saint is the patroness of bodily purity, so necessary in this day of rampant sexual activity outside of marriage, with its consequent cheapening of chastity and virginity. But her self-sacrificing -- and non-violent -- answer is a wiser and more moderate response than the totally extremist reaction the OTHER way: puritanism, chastity belts and honor killings.

Agnes, only 13 years old, refused her lover, who had her denounced as a Christian. Her suitor was the prefect's son and well aware of his money and power. She kind of taunted him, though, by putting him off while saying her own lover had five things in more abundance than he: nobility (for he is a King), beauty (for even the sun and moon admire him), abundance (for his wealth never lessens), courage (for he encourages all and even brings back to life), and love (for his love is virtue itself). And "he binds them [his lovers] to himself with the bond of his love." Now, the young man didn't get it until someone else told him she was referring to Christ, which is when he turned her over to his father, who threatened her with white slavery if she did not renounce Christianity and worship at the [pagan] temple. She refused to sacrifice to the gods and declared her faith in her guardian angel. She appears to have been justified, since though she WAS thrown into the brothel, she was not violated in any way. She was then thought to be a witch; the prefect wanted to let her go, for he feared her a little, but instead turned her over to a deputy. This deputy had her burned, but again she escaped harm. Finally he had a soldier stab her in the throat, at which point she (bravely) died. Her body, headless, is enshrined in St. Agnes' Basilica in Rome and on this day lambs are blessed whose wool is made into the pallia (stoles) sent by the pope to the new archbishops. St. Agnes, pure one, pray for us.