St. Agnes and King David

Homily for Tuesday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Confrontations such as the one we hear of in today’s Gospel will continue as the Gospel unfolds. Ultimately, these confrontations will lead Jesus to the cross. The cross reveals the fullness of God’s love for us. We matter to God. Not just in some small way, but in such a profound way that his own Son became incarnate so as to tell us this message himself and show it to us through his death.

Clearly, Agnes, the young woman and saint we remember today, found this message compelling and transformative, worth committing her life to and accepting the consequences of that choice, even if it meant death. She understood, and exemplified, holiness, even at a young age. We might consider this a good counter-argument to whatever excuses we might have about holiness in our own lives, no matter what our age.

The youngest son of Jesse is God’s choice as the king to replace Saul. David was a shepherd, a task that was usually set aside for the servants of the household. The depths of God’s love penetrated and transformed him into a servant king. Jesus uses him as a model of one who cared for others, in this instance the men who served him as his soldiers.

We can allow the depth of God’s love to penetrate us and transform us, giving us the strength and courage to embrace our own cross and commit ourselves to the life of discipleship. Today, we celebrated two very young people to lead us in this transformation.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator