Feast of St. Agnes
Mass – Propaedeutic Seminarians
St. Francis Church, Baltimore
January 21, 2026
Fr. Carrion, thank you for hosting us this evening. And it is good that we are here, especially as we celebrate the feast of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr.
Tonight’s liturgy presents us with parallels between David and St. Agnes and between David and Agnes and ourselves. I can think of three.
First, both David and Agnes were engaged in battle: David with the fierce Phillistine; Agnes with the cruel persecutor of Christians, Diocletian. Likewise, we are engaged in battle with the tyranny of Satan, a culture that robs people of their humanity, and, of course, our own human weakness.
Second, both David and Agnes were young and both were underestimated by their aggressors. The Phillistine regarded David with contempt because of his youthfulness. The executioner thought at first that Agnes, a child of twelve, was no match for his ferocity. For both David & Agnes, however, God was the joy & strength of their youth. As for us – I’ll only speak for myself here – I am not youthful but you, our seminarians, are young in age and in priestly formation. Your gifts and potential are not to be underestimated. May God be the joy of your youth and the source of your strength.
Third, David overcame the Phillistine by hurling a rock that embedded in the giant’s forehead, killing him on the spot. Agnes won victory over Diocletian by her steadfast faith, firmly founded on Christ, her Rock. So too, the victory is ours, when like David, we trust God so much that we do not engage in spiritual struggle with worldly weapons but rather with a steadfast faith like that of Agnes. The Phillistine did not expect to be overcome by David. St. Ambrose tells us that Agnes’ executioner was beset by fear when he beheld a young gift in her innocence ready to be slain for her faith. Sometimes, we too will be underestimated by adversaries of the faith but the victory will be ours so long as our faith is rock solid but our hearts are open and supple for the Master to form. May God bless us and keep us always in his love!