Deepertruth: Stand In The Gap With Us And Saint Agatha

Stand In The Gap With Us And Saint Agatha 2/5/2024 As in the case of Agnes, another virgin-martyr of the early Church, almost nothing is historically certain about this saint except that she was martyred in Sicily during the persecution of Emperor Decius in 251. Agatha, like Agnes, was arrested as a Christian, tortured, and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated. She was preserved from being violated, and was later put to death. The Roman World in 231 A.D. was a time of darkness that seemed to cover the whole land. Yet, despite this the Light of Christ was blazing trails throughout the Roman Empire. The Catholic Faith was growing underground despite great oppression. Out of the Roman world, civilization was ruled by the Roman Caesars who claimed to be a god. Pagan religions were commonly accepted as long as they recognized the Caesars claim to be their lord. This was a serious issue to the Catholic faith who recognized the one true God, the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church recognized Jesus Christ to be the one true God/Man. The Roman law forbade Christianity because of this fact. In January 250 A.D. the Roman Emperor Decius made the edict forcing all the inhabitants throughout the Roman Empire to offer sacrifice to Pagan gods and his image in the witness of the local Magistrates. Once the sacrifice was given then a certificate was drafted showing such worship was offered. Such loyalty to the Caesars were demanded and retribution was swift to those who refused. Christians were often tortured for their refusing such Pagan worship. Many gave their lives for Christ as Jesus foretold in Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."