Bible
Study: Hosea 10, 1 to 12. Matthew 10, 1 to 7.
In our Gospel passage this
morning, Jesus calls his twelve apostles to himself and assigned them on a
mission to go out and preach. And that mission continues today, it is a mission
that has never been limited to the clergy alone but to all Christians. Today,
millions of persons are preaching, churches are everywhere competing with loud
speakers here and there but when you look at our society, you seem not to
notice the effect of all these preaching.
No wonder St. Francis would
tell us that the best form of preaching is that which does not involve words
but the very example of our lives. It is no coincidence therefore, that today
happens to be the memorial of one great Saint whose very life preached and
continues to preach one great sermon, a sermon of purity, courage and
forgiveness. Even though she lived for only twelve years, she will be
remembered always even to the end of time. Her name will never be forgotten and
just like Mary, her praises will be sung from generation to generation.
Her name is Maria Gorretti.
Born on October 16, 1890 in
Corinaldo, in Italy, her farmworker father moved his family to Ferrier di
Conca, near Anzio. When he died of malaria, Maria's mother had to struggle to
feed her children. Maria's mother, brothers, and sisters worked in the fields
while she cooked, sewed, kept the house clean, and watched her youngest sister
Teresa. Though the family's circumstances were extremely difficult, they were
very close and loved God.
On July 5, 1902, Maria was
sitting outside the steps of her home sewing a shirt. As she concentrated on
her sewing, her neighbour Alessandro, surprised her and grabbed her from her
steps. When he tried to rape her, Maria cried that it was a mortal sin and
warned he would go to hell. When Alessandro persisted, she fought him and
screamed, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" At her words,
Alessandro began to choke her and she said she would rather die than submit.
Upon hearing her words, Alexander pulled out a knife and stabbed her eleven
times. When she attempted to reach the door, he stabbed her three more times
then fled.
Teresa woke to the sounds of
her sister's cries and began to cry. Maria's family returned home and found her
bleeding on the floor. They quickly took her to the nearest hospital in
Nettuno, where she underwent surgery without anesthesia. Unfortunately, her
wounds were beyond the surgeon's ability to help. Halfway through the surgery,
the man asked her, "Maria, think of me in Paradise." As she lay on
the table, she looked up at him and said, "Well, who knows which of us is
going to be there first?" She did not realize how terrible her situation
was, and the surgeon replied, "You, Maria." She said, "Then I
will think gladly of you." She also mentioned concerns for her mother. The
next day, Maria forgave Alessandro and said she wanted to see him in Heaven
with her. She died that day while looking upon an image of the Virgin Mary and
holding a cross to her chest.
Shortly after Maria's family
discovered her, Alexander was captured and questioned. He admitted Maria was a
physical virgin as he was unable to assault her and he was sentenced to thirty
years. He also admitted he had attempted to persuade her to accompany him to
bed on several occasions in the past and had attempted to rape her before.
Maria Goretti was beatified
by Pope Pius XII in a ceremony at Saint Peter's Basilica on April 27, 1947. Three
years later, on June 24, 1950, Maria was declared a saint and Alessandro was
present in the St. Peter's crowd to celebrate her canonization. He later became
a lay-brother of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, where he lived in a
monastery and worked as its receptionist and gardener until his death. Saint
Maria is called a martyr because she fought against Alessandro's attempts at
sexual sin; however, the most important aspects of her story are how she
forgave her attacker - her concern for her enemy extending even beyond death -
and the miracle her forgiveness produced in his life.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, may my life itself
become a sermon capable of transforming lives and bringing people to you. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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