Yesterday much of the nation watched as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took their oath of office. Among a star-studded cast of musicians and well-spoken writers, we found politicians calling for unity and a cease to violence. All of these are good things. There is a lot of fear, division, and pain out there.
Our Gospel today reminds us that government is not where we as Christians put our faith. There is only one person who can heal the divisions among our people; Jesus Christ. In the scripture, the crowd is so anxious to get what they want that they don’t care who gets hurt, even if it crushes the person healing them.
This carelessness for others reminds me of our Saint for today, Saint Agnes. Agnes was a beautiful girl, so beautiful that many fought for the right to marry her. She had dedicated her life to Jesus, though, and at the time, that was a dangerous thing to do. Eventually, one of the political figures who wanted her to be his bride, after being refused, turned her in for being a Christian. So the governor, who happened to be the young man’s father, put her through all sorts of horrible situations.
Out of his pride, the young man was willing to crush Agnes, and they tempted her, saying if she just rejected Christ they would spare her life. Agnes knew the answer was not in the political authority; it was not in the government that she placed her trust. Instead, she said, “I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!”
Saint Agnes had the kind of faith that we need today! Our soul should be crying out for the beauty of God! Governments come and go, rise and fall. Jesus Christ remains forever, and He made it possible for the entire world to receive Him; all they have to do is follow His commands through His Church.
I’ve heard stories of churches in the past, so overfilled with people that they had to sit outside and listen at the windows. Where are our crowds today? We are few, faithful, but so few. If man realized for just a moment the healing power God is offering here in this tabernacle, here on this altar, we’d have to take precautions as well that the crowds did not overwhelm this structure.
This brings me to my last point: Confession. Many people see Confession as a burden, as something difficult and unpleasant. Confession is instead a moment in which we go before Jesus and declare, like Agnes, “He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!” It’s an encounter with Christ that prepares us for an eternity with Him and should be a regular part of our lives. Jesus makes Himself fully present in the Sacraments. He offers this to all of humanity, the gentile and the Jew alike. For those Catholics in a state of grace, He invites us forward to the table, to the foot of Calvary. Let’s not take it for granted.
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin, and Martyr: January 21st, 2021