January 21, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Saint Agnes: Matthew 13:44-46
Reflect on the Word //
The classroom pulsed with noise. I could feel the chaos ripple outward as their voices rose and ricocheted. My silence was not strength but surrender to the pressure pressing in on every side. I took a deep breath, trying to regulate like I constantly taught my students. After dismissal the tension clung to me. I stayed at my desk, still and silent. I have nothing left to give. Even this, Lord. I give You this too.
That night, I returned to the Gospel: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). Out of joy sparkled like a hidden treasure beneath the weight of fatigue. There was an invitation to reach deeper and surrender everything.
The person knows the treasure’s true worth. The treasure is hidden again, not to keep it secret but to claim it as their own. Everything is sold, not out of duty, but with a joyful heart.
Jesus continues: “When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it” (Matthew 13:46). Again, the response is complete. Everything is given because something far better has been found.
We may not be merchants, but we are women who carry costly things. We give time, energy, plans, security. The Lord does not demand these. He invites us to surrender them, out of joy, for something infinitely greater.
Saint Agnes, whose name is written across the entrance of my school, gave everything for Christ. She chose Him over comfort, over safety, over fear. She gave all, and in doing so, gained everything. Her witness still echoes. The treasure remains. The pearl is still worth the price.
Joy carries us when we choose Him. When we discover the true treasure, we will not be afraid to let go. We are not left empty when we give Christ everything. We are filled with joy that cannot fade.
Relate to the Lord // Keep joy at the center of your heart today. Ask God to fill you with His joy.
Rose Coleman is an elementary school teacher with a heart for pilgrimage. She traveled the globe on a ship during college and spent some years in the convent as a religious sister. She was a contributing author to All She Had, Blessed Conversations: Rooted, and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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