[Rank]
S. Agathae Virginis Martyris;;Duplex;;3;;vide C6b

[Rank1570]
S. Agathae Virginis et Martyris;;Semiduplex;;2;;vide C6b

[Rule]
vide C6b;
9 lectiones

[Ant Vespera 3]
Who art thou * who comest to heal my wounds? I am an Apostle of Christ have no fear of me, my daughter.;;109
I have used no earthly medicine * for my body, but I have for a Master Christ Jesus, by Whose Word alone all things were made;;112
O my Lord Jesus Christ, I thank thee, * because Thou hast been mindful of me, and hast sent unto me thine Apostle, to heal my wounds;;121
I bless thee, O Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, because by thine Apostle Thou hast put new paps on my breasts;;126
Upon Him Who hath vouchsafed * to heal me of all my wounds, and to put new paps on my breasts, upon Him will I call, even upon the Living God;;147

[Capitulum Vespera]
!Sir 51:1-3
v. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise thee, O God my~
Saviour.I will give glory to thy name: for thou best been a helper and protector~
to me. And hast preserved my body from destruction
$Deo gratias

[Ant 1]
The blessed Agatha * stood in the midst of the prison, and stretched forth her~
hands, and prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord Jesus Christ, my Good Master, I~
thank thee because Thou hast made me to overcome the cruelty of the executioners~
and now, O Lord, may it please thee that I should happily attain unto thy glory,~
which fadeth not away.

[Ant Matutinum]
I am well born * and of a respectable family, as all my relations testify;;1
The best of my birth is * that I was born the slave of Christ;;2
I look like a slave * because I am one the slave of Christ;;3
V. In thy comeliness and thy beauty.
R. Go forward, fare prosperously, and reign.
The holy Agatha * said Dost thou promise me beasts? When they hear Christ's name they grow tame;;4
If thou put * the fire to me, Angels will bring me a saving dew from heaven;;5
Agatha went to prison * with great joy and exultation, like a guest to a banquet, and recommended her struggle to the Lord in prayer;;8
V. God shall help her with his strength
R. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved.
Unless thou make * the executioners to handle my body vigorously, my soul will not be able to enter into the Lord's paradise with the palm of martyrdom;;10
O Lord, Thou hast seen * how I have fought, and how I have run in the race; but, because I would not obey the magistrates, they ordered me to be tortured in the breasts;;14
Because of my chastity * they ordered me to be stretched upon the rack help me, O Lord my God, for they are torturing my breasts;;15
V. God hath chosen her and fore-chosen her.
R. He hath made her to dwell in His tabernacle.

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus
!Sir 51:1-7
1 A PRAYER of Jesus the son of Sirach. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King,~
and I will praise thee, O God my Saviour.
2 I will give glory to thy name: for thou best been a helper and protector to~
me.
3 And hast preserved my body from destruction, from the snare of an unjust~
tongue, and from the lips of them that forge lies, and in the sight of them that~
stood by, thou hast been my helper.
4 And thou hast delivered me, according to the multitude of the mercy of thy~
name, from them that did roar, prepared to devour.
5 Out of the hands of them that sought my life, and from the gates of~
afflictions, which compassed me about:
6 From the oppression of the flame which surrounded me, and in the midst of the~
fire I was not burnt.
7 From the depth of the belly of hell, and from an unclean tongue, and from~
lying words, from an unjust king, and from a slanderous tongue:

[Responsory1]
R. While the blessed Agatha was being grievously tortured in the breasts, she~
said to the judge
* Thou foul, cruel, and bloody tyrant, art thou not ashamed to do this to me,~
having thyself sucked at a mother's breast?
V. I have breasts within, which have been the Lord's from my childhood, and them~
thou canst not mangle.
R. Thou foul, cruel, and bloody tyrant, art thou not ashamed to do this to me,~
having thyself sucked at a mother's breast?

[Lectio2]
!Sir 51:8-12
8 My soul shall praise the Lord even to death.
9 And my life was drawing near to hell beneath.
10 They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I~
looked for the succour of men, and there was none.
11 I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning~
of the world.
12 How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of~
the hands of the nations.

[Responsory2]
R. Agatha went to prison with great joy and exultation,
* Like a guest to a banquet, and recommended her struggle to the Lord in prayer.
V. She, the daughter of a most noble race, rejoiced when a vile person haled her~
to prison.
R. She went like a guest to a banquet, and recommended her struggle to the Lord~
in prayer.

[Lectio3]
!Sir 51:13-17
13 Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for~
death to pass away.
14 I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in~
the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.
15 I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and~
my prayer was heard.
16 And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil~
time.
17 Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the~
Lord.

[Responsory3]
R. Who art thou, who comest to heal my wounds? I am an Apostle of Christ have no~
fear of me, my daughter He hath sent me to thee
* Whom thy soul and thy pure heart love.
V. For I am His Apostle, and I bid thee know that thou art healed in the Name of~
Him.
R. Whom thy soul and thy pure heart love.
&Gloria
R. Whom thy soul and thy pure heart love.

[Lectio4]
The Maiden Agatha was a Sicilian of noble birth. The citizens of Palermo and~
Catania dispute as to which city had the honour of being her birthplace. It was~
at Catania that, during the persecution under the Emperor Decius, she won the~
crown of a glorious martyrdom. She was equally celebrated for her beauty and her~
chastity, and Quintianus, Praetor of Sicily, conceived a passion for her. He~
tried every sort of device to overcome her modesty, and when he found it~
impossible to make her consent to his wishes, he caused her to be arrested on a~
charge of Christian superstition, and handed over to a woman named Aphrodisia to~
be corrupted. The company, however, of this woman had no effect in shaking her~
constancy in the Christian worship, nor her settled determination to preserve~
her purity. Aphrodisia therefore reported to Quintianus that she was only~
throwing away her pains on Agatha. He ordered her to be brought before him. Thou,~
said he, art the daughter of a noble family dost thou feel no shame in living~
the degraded and slavish life of a Christian? Agatha answered him, The lowliness~
and bondage of a Christian are far nobler than the estate and pride of a king.

[Responsory4]
R. But by the Lord's help I will continue to acknowledge Him Who hath saved me
* And strengthened me.
V. I thank thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, because Thou hast sent thine Apostle~
unto me to heal my wounds.
R. And strengthened me.

[Lectio5]
Then the Praetor, being incensed against her, gave her the alternative of either~
sacrificing to the gods, or being submitted to the torture; and as she remained~
firm in the faith, she was buffeted and sent back to prison. The next day she~
was brought forth, and, because her resolution was still unshaken, she was~
stretched on the rack and tortured with pieces of white-hot metal. Then her~
breasts were cut off. When Agatha received this injury she cried out to~
Quintianus, Cruel tyrant, art thou not ashamed to do this to me, having thyself~
sucked at a mother's breast? She was remanded again to prison and put in irons.~
That night an old man, who called himself an Apostle of Christ, came to her, and~
healed her wounds. The following day she was brought for the last time before~
the Praetor. Her constancy was unmoved, and she was rolled on sharp potsherds~
and live embers.

[Responsory5]
R. He hath cured me Who hath sent His Apostle Peter to the prison to strengthen~
me, after I was ordered to be put on the rack.
* Because of my chastity, help me, O Lord my God, for they are torturing my~
breasts.
V. He hath vouchsafed to heal me of all my wounds, and to put new paps on my~
breasts.
R. Because of my chastity, help me, O Lord my God, for they are torturing my~
breasts.

[Lectio6]
At that time the whole city was shaken with a great earthquake, and two of the~
Praetor's dearest friends, Silvinus and Falconius, were killed by falling walls.~
The townspeople were in an uproar, and Quintianus, in fear of a riot, ordered~
Agatha, who was half dead, to be carried back to prison quietly. Then she made~
the following prayer O Lord, Who hast been my Keeper from my childhood, Who hast~
taken from me all love for this present world, Who hast strengthened me so that I~
am more than conqueror over the cruelty of the executioners, receive my spirit,~
and with these words she passed to heaven. She finished her testimony on the 5th~
day of February, (in the year of our Lord 251.) Her body was buried by the~
Christians.

[Responsory6]
R. O Lord, Thou hast seen and known how I have fought, and how I have run in the~
race; but, because I would not obey the magistrates
* They ordered me to be tortured in the breasts.
V. Because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness,
R. They ordered me to be tortured in the breasts.
&Gloria
R. They ordered me to be tortured in the breasts.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 19:3-12
In that time there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying: Is it~
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And so on.
_
Homily by St John Chrysostom, Patriarch of (Constantinople.)
!63th on Matthew.
Seeing that directly to exhort them unto virginity was well-nigh more than they~
could bear, our Lord seeketh to draw them to the desire thereof, taking occasion~
by the needfulness of a law against divorce. Then He showeth that virginity is~
possible, saying There are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's~
womb; and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men; and there be~
eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. In~
these words He persuadeth them indirectly to choose virginity, while He teacheth~
them that such a gift is not so good as to be impossible.

[Responsory7]
R. When the blessed Agatha came into the prison, she stretched forth her hands~
to God, and said O Lord, Who hast made me to overcome the cruelty of the~
executioners
* May it please thee that I should attain unto thy mercy.
V. O Lord, Who hast made me, Who hast taken from me all love for this present~
world, and Who hast saved my body from pollution,
R. May it please thee that I should attain unto thy mercy.

[Lectio8]
This doctrine He establisheth somewhat thus. Supposing that thou hadst been born a~
eunuch by nature, or hadst been made a eunuch by the cruelty of men, so that~
thou hadst no sexual enjoyment, and hadst no credit for having none, what~
wouldest thou do? Give God thanks therefore, that thou dost, for a reward and a~
crown, what such others suffer with no reward and no crown yea, and that, rather a~
lighter burden than the same, and that not only because thou hast the joy of~
hope, and of knowing that thou doest well, but also because thou art not so~
battered by storms of desire as they are.

[Responsory8]
R. I have used no earthly medicine for my body, but I have for a Master, Christ~
Jesus
* By Whose Word alone all things are made.
V. He hath vouchsafed to heal me of all my wounds, and to put new paps on my~
breasts, and upon Him will I call, even upon the Living God.
R. By Whose Word alone all things are made.
&Gloria
R. By Whose Word alone all things are made.

[Lectio9]
When, therefore, He had spoken of such as are eunuchs by nature, or by~
mutilation, and are eunuchs vainly and uselessly, unless they also bridle their~
thoughts, and of such as deny themselves for the kingdom of heaven's sake, He~
added He that is able to receive it, let him receive it, that He might make them~
the readier by showing the very sternness of the work, and, in His unspeakable~
goodness, He would not include any such precept within the requirements of the~
law, and, by saying this, showeth it to be the more possible, that He might~
increase the desire of freely choosing it.
&teDeum

[Ant Laudes]
Who art thou * who comest to heal my wounds? I am an Apostle of Christ have no fear of me, my daughter
I have used no earthly medicine * for my body, but I have for a Master Christ Jesus, by Whose Word alone all things were made.
O my Lord Jesus Christ, I thank thee, * because Thou hast been mindful of me, and hast sent unto me thine Apostle, to heal my wounds
I bless thee, O Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, because by thine Apostle Thou hast put new paps on my breasts
Upon Him Who hath vouchsafed * to heal me of all my wounds, and to put new paps on my breasts, upon Him will I call, even upon the Living God

[Capitulum Laudes]
!Sir 51:1-3
v. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise thee, O God my~
Saviour.I will give glory to thy name: for thou best been a helper and protector~
to me. And hast preserved my body from destruction
$Deo gratias

[Ant 2]
The heathen multitude made haste * and came to the grave of the virgin, and took~
therefrom her veil wherewith to stem the fire; that the Lord might show Himself~
to be a Deliverer from the burning, for the sake of Agatha, His blessed Martyr.

[Oratio]
O God, Who, amidst the wondrous work of thy Divine power, dost make even weak~
women to be more than conquerors in the uplifting of their testimony, mercifully~
grant unto all us which do keep the Birthday of thy blessed handmaiden and~
witness Agatha grace to follow her steps to thee.
$Per Dominum

[Capitulum Tertia]
!Sir 51:1-3
v. I will give glory to thee, O Lord, O King, and I will praise thee, O God my~
Saviour.I will give glory to thy name: for thou best been a helper and protector~
to me. And hast preserved my body from destruction
$Deo gratias

[Capitulum Sexta]
!Sir 51:4-5
v. And thou hast delivered me, according to the multitude of the mercy of thy~
name, from them that did roar, prepared to devour.Out of the hands of them that~
sought my life, and from the gates of afflictions, which compassed me about:
$Deo gratias

[Capitulum Nona]
!Sir 51:8; 51:12
v. My soul shall praise the Lord even to death. How thou deliverest them that~
wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations.
$Deo gratias

[Lectio94]
Agatha, born in Sicily of noble parents, suffered a glorious martyrdom at~
Catania In the persecution of the emperor Decius. For when Quintianus, the~
praetor of Sicily, had vainly tried every means to tempt her from her virginity,~
he had her arrested as adhering to the Christian superstition. First she was~
beaten,then tortured on the rack with whit hot iron plates laid on her; then one~
of her. breasts was cut off. Next she was thrown into prison, where St. Peter~
the Apostle appeared to her by night and healed her. Again called before the~
praetor she persevered in confessing Christ, and he had her rolled over broken~
pottery and burning coals. But then a great earthquake violently shook the city,~
and Ouintianus, afraid of a riot among the people,gave orders that Agatha, now~
half dead, secretly be taken back to prison. There after a short time she went~
to heaven on February 5.
