The Authority of a Trusting Heart

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

1Kgs 2:1-4.10-12, Psalm: 1Chron, Mk 6:7-13

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint Agatha, the virgin martyr, the Word of God presents us with a striking contrast between two sources of security: the weight of earthly inheritance and the liberating authority of divine trust. As we honor a young woman who surrendered everything—even her own body—for love of Christ, we are invited to examine what we truly rely upon.

In the First Book of Kings, the great King David, on his deathbed, delivers his final charge to his son Solomon. His instruction is not primarily about politics, wealth, or military strategy. It is a spiritual testament: “Keep the mandate of the Lord, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees.” David, who learned through painful experience that true strength flows from faithfulness, points his heir beyond the throne to the Lord of the throne. The stability of the kingdom depends not on Solomon’s wisdom alone, but on his adherence to God’s covenant.

This call to a security rooted in God’s word finds its radical fulfillment in the Gospel. Jesus summons the Twelve and begins to send them out two by two. He gives them “authority over unclean spirits,” but then He strips them of every conventional source of security. “He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money.” Their authority would be made perfect in their vulnerability. They were to rely entirely on God’s providence working through the hospitality of others. Their power was real, but it could only be exercised from a posture of radical trust.

This is the very trust that Saint Agatha embodied in her martyrdom. Facing the loss of every earthly security—freedom, safety, even her life—she clung not to a walking stick, but to her faith in Christ. Her authority was the quiet, unshakable power of a heart that belonged entirely to God. In her, we see the ultimate fruit of the disciples’ mission: a witness so pure it could withstand any storm of persecution.

For us, the message is both challenging and comforting. We are all given a mission—in our families, workplaces, and communities. But what do we rely on to accomplish it? Our own cleverness, our financial safety nets, our carefully managed reputations? Or do we dare to exercise the spiritual authority given to us in Baptism and Confirmation, trusting that God will provide for our needs as we step out in His name?

The Lord asks us to travel light. To let go of the baggage of excessive worry, of trust in material things, of the need to control every outcome. As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” That greatness is found in trusting surrender.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, a modern martyr of charity, understood this: “God doesn’t require us to succeed; He only requires that you try.” The trying, the going forth in trust, is itself the victory.

Today, let us ask for the intercession of Saint Agatha. May she obtain for us the courage to rely less on our own provisions and more on the providence of God, so that we may exercise the true authority of a trusting heart, bringing His peace and healing to a world in need. Amen.

May God bless you all!