A third century martyr, St. Agatha, who suffered a terrible martyrdom for her love of Christ, spoke these words just before she entered eternal life in 251 AD:
"Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am -- you alone. I am your sheep; make me worthy to overcome the devil."
When Agatha died, God sent an angel who wrote on her marble tombstone, that one day she would save her countrymen from beyond the grave. One year from the date of her death, a volcano called Mt. Etna erupted and threatened her home town. The villagers remembered the words of the angel regarding Agatha, and they ran toward the lava with the marble slab upon which the prophecy was written. To their amazement, the lava from the volcano miraculously stopped! The town was saved.
Here is a treat you can make today to remind us of the miracle of how St. Agatha had stopped the flow of lava from Mount Etna and had saved her countrymen from destruction.
St. Agatha’s Volcanic Lava Bark
You will need:
some chocolate melting discs; in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and red colored chocolate
some ground cinnamon
some chipotle powder (makes it hot...like lava! Use as desired, if you dare)
a 13x9 inch baking tray
parchment paper
Line the baking tray with parchment paper, spread a layer of melting chocolate discs over the parchment paper in rows, a row of dark, a row of milk chocolate, and some red colored chocolate, alternating the colors somewhat evenly. Sprinkle a small dusting of cinnamon and/or chipotle powder top (this will make it hot, like lava!) and place the tray into a warm, 325 degree oven for about 5 minutes, until the discs are shiny and melted. Take the pan out, and drag a butter knife through the discs of melted chocolate, swirling the colors together a bit, but not too much, to achieve a marbled lava effect. Set the pan aside to cool completely, then turn the chocolate volcano bark out of the pan and break into bite sized pieces and enjoy!