St. Agnes found her true identity and purpose in life at a young age. For her, Jesus is everything. He is her spouse. She submitted herself completely to Him. She was born into a noble Christian family in Rome. She was a beautiful girl, which, together with her wealth and holiness, caused many young noblemen to seek her as their bride. But Agnes’ eyes beheld One who was the most beautiful of all—her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She dedicated herself to a life of virginity. That’s also our true identity. We are children of God created in His likeness and image. We are called to put God above all things because He is our Father and He wants the best for us. We are called to put our absolute allegiance to God. In that way we become self-giving persons. We work for the well-being of others. Agnes also found her true purpose in life. She made Jesus shine in her life. She became an agent of His love and mercy. She is always depicted carrying a lamb. Agnes comes from the Latin word, Agnus which means lamb. Her life is like a lamb willing to be sacrificed for the salvation of others. She imitated completely the love of Jesus who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. She is therefore a model of selfless love and courage. She was not afraid to die because she understood that nothing can separate her from the love of God. If God is for us who can be against us. Our true purpose in life is to glorify the Lord and make Him real in our lives by living a life of love and service. St. Augustine said that we are created only for God and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Him. He alone can satisfy us. Our hearts are made for God alone and we are never satisfied in this world because we are meant to live with Him in eternity. In fact, what we bring with us to the next life is not what we possess but what we have given away on earth. We need to recognize our true identity and purpose otherwise we become like the world chasing after everything and end up nothing. St. Agnes shows us the way that by putting God above all else we become fully alive and totally free.
ST. AGNES, VIRGIN AND MARTYR
