Feb. 5 – Martyr Agatha

Martyr Agatha was from Panormus (Palermo) on the island of Sicily, the daughter of noble and wealthy parents, and was of extraordinary beauty. During the persecution under Decius, the governor of the island, having heard of her beauty and wealth, sought to persuade her to renounce Christ and enter into unlawful marriage with him; but neither flattery nor torments availed him anything in this. “It would be easier to soften stone and melt iron than to persuade this maiden,” said Aphrodisia about Agatha—Aphrodisia to whom she had been entrusted in order to convince her to fulfill the ruler’s desire. After cruel torments, when she was led to prison, she peacefully reposed in the year 251. A year after the repose of St. Agatha, the fire-breathing Mount Etna began to erupt great flames and vast quantities of molten lava. The inhabitants of the city of Catania, where St. Agatha had reposed and been buried, seeing imminent destruction approaching, rushed to the church of St. Agatha, took her garment from her tomb, and used it to defend themselves against the fire—and the eruption of the mountain ceased. Therefore, St. Agatha is considered in many places a protector against fire.

Martyr Theodule suffered in the 4th century in the city of Anazarbus in Asia Minor. When the tormentor, the governor Pelagius, ordered Theodule to be brought to the pagan temple to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the idol, she with a single breath shattered the idol and broke it into several pieces. A certain Helladius begged the governor for the martyr, promising to turn her to idolatry, and drove nails into her ears and forehead; yet the martyr patiently endured the sufferings. The nails, however, fell out of the wounds by themselves, and she became completely whole and healthy. Struck by such a miracle, Helladius believed in Christ, for which he himself was beheaded with a sword. After this, they laid Theodule on a red-hot frying pan and poured boiling pitch, wax, and oil over her; yet even there she remained unharmed. This miracle converted many pagans to Christ, including Macarius and Evagrius. Macarius and Evagrius, together with Theodule, were thrown into a fiery furnace, where they reposed.