July 6: ST. MARIA GORETTI,
Patron saint of young women and rape victims.
St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902) was born near Ancona (Italy). She was the daughter of a poor peasant family; she was well known to her neighbors for her cheerfulness and piety. When she was twelve she became a victim of aggression. She preferred to die rather than to lose her virginity.
“I have no fear, for you are with me.”
From a homily at the canonisation of
Saint Maria Goretti by Pope Pius XII
It is well known how this young girl had to face a bitter struggle with no way to defend herself. Without warning a vicious stranger burst upon her, bent on raping her and destroying her childlike purity. In that moment of crisis she could have spoken to her Redeemer in the words of that classic, The Imitation of Christ: “Though tested and plagued by a host of misfortunes, I have no fear so long as your grace is with me. It is my strength, stronger than any adversary; it helps me and gives me guidance.” With splendid courage she surrendered herself to God and his grace and so gave her life to protect her virginity.
The life of this simple girl – I shall concern myself only with highlights – we can see as worthy of heaven. Even today people can look upon it with admiration and respect. Parents can learn from her story how to raise their God-given children in virtue, courage and holiness; they can learn to train them in the Catholic faith so that, when put to the test, God’s grace will support them and they will come through undefeated, unscathed and untarnished. From Maria’s story carefree children and young people with their zest for life can learn not to be led astray by attractive pleasures which are not only ephemeral and empty but also sinful. Instead they can fix their sights on achieving Christian moral perfection, however difficult and hazardous that course may prove. With determination and God’s help all of us can attain that goal by persistent effort and prayer.
Not all of us are expected to die a martyr’s death, but we are all called to the pursuit of Christian virtue. This demands strength of character though it may not match that of this innocent girl. Still, a constant, persistent and relentless effort is asked of us right up to the moment of our death. This may be conceived as a slow steady martyrdom which Christ urged upon us when he said: The kingdom of heaven is set upon and laid waste by violent forces.
o let us all, with God’s grace, strive to reach the goal that the example of the virgin martyr, Saint Maria Goretti, sets before us. Through her prayers to the Redeemer may all of us, each in his own way, joyfully try to follow the inspiring example of Maria Goretti who now enjoys eternal happiness in heaven.
FOR THE INSPIRING BIOGRAPHY OF
SAINT MARIA GORETTI, CLICK HERE.
VIDEO COMMENTARY ON ST. MARIA GORETTI.
TOPIC: Can you forgive like St. Maria Goretti and Kim Phuc?
Today is the official feast day of a remarkable saint, one who died at 11 years old, defending her purity. Let’s watch this.
Forgiveness is what makes her a saint. Imagine someone doing you harm, not just by words or by betrayal, but by actually stabbing you 14 times and leaving you for dead. An 11-year old girl, so fragile and so pure had the strength to resist her attacker and the courage to forgive.
Mahatma Gandhi was probably referring to Maria when he said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
Can you imagine how far your forgiveness can mend a broken life and lead to the transformation of others back to God? This is what happened to St. Maria’s attacker, Alessandro Sereneli. Upon his release from prison, he served with the Capuchins and was a staunch campaigner for St. Maria’s sainthood. Forgiveness truly transforms.
An article in Committed Parent, written by Robert Karen, caught my eye. It narrates,
- In one of the most famous photos to come out of the Vietnam War, a small girl is running naked down the road, with an expression of unimaginable terror, her clothes burned off and her body scorched by napalm. The man who coordinated the raid on this child’s village in June, 1972 was a twenty-four-year old U.S. Army helicopter pilot and operations officer named John Plummer. The day after the raid, Plummer saw the photo in the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and was devastated.
- It caused him periodic nightmares of that scene with children screaming in his dreams even 22 years later. In 1996, he learned that Kim Phuc, the girl in the photo, who required 17 operations, would be speaking at a Veteran’s Day observance not far from his home.
- Kim’s speech included the following: “If I could talk face to face with the pilot who dropped the bombs, I would tell him we cannot change history, but we should try to do good things for the present …” Plummer, in the audience, wrote her a note: “I am that man,” and asked an officer to take it to her. At the end of the speech, he pushed through the crowd to reach her, and soon they were face to face. “She just opened her arms to me,” Plummer recounted. “I fell into her arms sobbing. All I could say is, ‘I’m so sorry. I’m just so sorry.’” “It’s alright, “ Kim responded. “I forgive. I forgive.”
Can we forgive those who hurt us, betray us, or persecute us? Our worth in this world is determined not by any other measure but how we can live with love and forgiveness in our hearts. Our mission is not so much to transform others by our preaching but by our love, our graciousness and our forgiveness of others.
FOR THE INSPIRING BIOGRAPHY OF
SAINT MARIA GORETTI, CLICK HERE.
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