Reflection for the Website – Sunday 8th February 2026 – St. Agatha (transferred from 5th February)
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows… ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”
Matthew 10:28-30, 34-36
Today, we’re remembering St. Agatha, the patron saint of our smaller church, whose day fell on 5th February. We don’t know a great deal about St. Agatha, beyond the facts that she came from a noble family in Catania, Sicily – not far from Mount Etna – and died a martyr in the local prison on 5th February 251, after a series of appalling tortures. The legends about her tell of Agatha’s devotion to the Christian faith, and consequent rejection of the attentions of Quintianus, the local Roman governor in the area, as well as her refusal to adhere to the state religion. She is supposed to have been sent to a brothel by Quintianus in an attempt to change her mind, but Agatha remained firm, even after his further attempts to persuade her. The tortures she is alleged to have undergone include having her breasts cut off, and the iconography often depicts Agatha holding a platter showing her severed breasts – as a result of this part of her story, she’s more recently become a patron saint for those suffering from breast cancer, as well as for victims of rape and sexual abuse and for torture victims, amongst other things. The stories tell that Agatha was saved by an earthquake from a sentence of being burnt at the stake, and died in the prison, still constant in her faith, and praying: “Lord, my creator, you have protected me since I was in the cradle. You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Now receive my spirit.”
And a situation somewhat like hers is something also envisaged in the Gospel reading above, in which Jesus is being very honest with his newly called disciples about the fact that some of them may find their lives under threat for following him. He seeks to encourage any who might find themselves in this position, reminding them that bodily death isn’t what ultimately matters, as he says:
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
And in upholding their faith, they also risk being a source of conflict within their own communities and even families; as our Gospel passage goes on to warn:
“For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.”
A sentiment which St. Agatha, and martyrs down the centuries, will have understood, and which may have encouraged them when they faced opposition and violence as a result of their faith. Which is something still experienced, of course, by Christians in some parts of the world, even now.
As we remember and give thanks for St. Agatha today, we end with a prayer for all Christians facing persecution today:
O Lord God,
your Son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his resurrection
he restores life and peace in all creation.
Comfort, we pray, all victims of intolerance
and those oppressed by their fellow humans.
Remember in your kingdom those who have died.
Lead the oppressors towards compassion
and give hope to the suffering.
Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.