Augustine Sokolovski
On February 19 (6), the Church celebrates the memory of the holy martyr Agatha of Sicily. Translated from Greek her name means “good”. In other words, the same name as God. “For only God is good,” says the Lord in the Gospel (Matthew 19:7).
The saint was a virgin dedicated to God. She suffered for Christ during the persecution of the Roman emperor Decius (249–251). This was one of the first, if not the first, general systematic persecution in the history of Christianity.
Unlike previous persecutions, Christians were tried and killed not according to individual denunciations of pagans, but according to the decrees of the emperor. The reason was the accusation of violating traditional values and, as paradoxical as it may sound, of atheism.
Pagans considered Christians to be public enemies because they rejected pagan morality, which was considered the basis of Roman prosperity, and did not make sacrifices to the deities that pagans believed they protected.
Life says that Agatha was tried and demanded to renounce Christ. Her breasts were ripped out and she was blinded. She was 20 years old.
The death of the martyr coincided with a volcanic eruption. This took place in the ancient city of Catania, located at the foot of Etna. In panic, the pagans tried to grab hold of the clothes of Saint Agatha, which remained lying after her suffering, like the swaddling clothes of the Body of the Lord after His Resurrection (cf. John 20:6). Christians called the days of death of martyrs “birthdays.”
In a desperate gesture, the pagans tried to protect themselves from the advancing lava. Suddenly the earthquake stopped, as if embarrassed before the exodus of Saint Agatha. This sign proved to the pagans that Christians are not enemies of society, and their presence protects. Then they are faithful to their calling (cf. Matt. 5:13).) Agatha, kind and good, protected her murderers with the clothing of her last minute as a sign of forgiveness and farewell.