The Courage of Compassion: From David to the Cross

Voice over by Eliz

1Sam 17:32-33.37.40-51, Psalm: 143, Mk 3:1-6

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint Agnes, a young virgin who faced the arena with the courage of a seasoned warrior, the Scriptures present us with two different battlefields. One is a valley filled with the clamor of armies; the other is a synagogue filled with the silence of hardened hearts. Both reveal the same truth: the greatest battles are won not by human strength or rigid rule-keeping, but by courageous trust in God and radical compassion for others.

In the valley of Elah, a young shepherd named David stands before the giant Goliath. King Saul sees only David’s youth and inexperience: “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him.” But David sees with the eyes of faith. His confidence comes not from armor or stature, but from a history of God’s faithfulness: “The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from this Philistine.” Armed only with a sling and five smooth stones, he declares, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.” His victory is a testament to the power that flows from total reliance on God. True strength, David shows us, is faith in action.

Centuries later, in a synagogue, another confrontation unfolds. A man with a withered hand is present, and the Pharisees watch Jesus closely, not with hope, but with accusation—to see if He would cure on the Sabbath. Jesus, “grieved at their hardness of heart,” places the man in the center and asks the piercing question: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Their silence is deafening. In an act of both compassion and defiance, Jesus restores the man’s hand. The Pharisees’ response is not joy, but a plot to destroy Him. Here, the “Goliath” is not a foreign warrior, but the cold, legalistic heart that values rules over human dignity. Jesus, like David, fights in the name of the Lord, wielding the weapon of merciful love.

This is the very courage that animated Saint Agnes, whose memory we celebrate. As a young girl in ancient Rome, she faced the spiritual Goliath of imperial persecution. She possessed the courage of David, trusting not in her own strength but in Christ, her true spouse. She also embodied the compassion of Jesus, for her witness of purity and faith was itself an act of love for God and a refusal to bow to the evil of her age. She chose the good—fidelity to Christ—even when the world deemed it unlawful.

For us, the message is clear. We all face “Goliaths”—threats to our peace, our health, our faith, or our families. We also encounter the “withered hands”—the needs, sufferings, and injustices around us. The world often tells us to rely on our own armor (wealth, status, cynicism) or to remain silent in the face of need to avoid trouble.

But God calls us to the courage of David and the compassion of Christ. He asks us to trust that He who delivered us in the past will be with us in the present battle. He commands us to choose the good, to restore the broken, and to heal the wounded, even when it challenges convention.

As Pope Francis reminds us, “A faith that does not bear fruit in concrete acts of love is a dead faith.” Let us ask for the intercession of Saint Agnes today. May she obtain for us the courage to face our giants with faith, and the compassionate heart to always choose the good, that we may glorify the Lord who is our strength and our salvation. Amen.

May God bless you all!