May 22 2023 - St. Rita of Cascia - A woman of peace

 At the 100th anniversary of her canonization in the year 2000, Pope St. John Paul II said of St. Rita that she was a woman who was “small in stature but great in holiness, who lived in humility and is now known throughout the world for her heroic Christian life as a wife, mother, widow and nun. Deeply rooted in the love of Christ, Rita found in her faith unshakeable strength to be a woman of peace in every situation. In her example of total abandonment to God, in her transparent simplicity and in her unflinching fidelity to the Gospel, we too can find sound direction for being authentic Christian witnesses at the dawn of the third millennium."

Born in central Italy in 1377, Rita desired at a young age to become a nun.  However, her parents had promised her in marriage despite her strongly expressed desire to enter religious life.  Sadly, her husband turned out to be abusive and unfaithful.  During her 18-year marriage Rita struggled to keep the family together and focused on raising her sons to know God.  

After 18 years of unhappy married life, her husband was killed in a brawl, and a short time later, both sons died as well of natural causes.  

Though deeply pained from this series of losses, Rita was now free to enter the religious life, yet she was rejected three times by the local Augustinian nuns of Cascia who typically only permitted virgins to enter their order. Eventually, she succeeded. 

Over the years, her prayerfulness and charity became legendary.  In fact, she meditated often on the passion of Christ, and when she developed a thorn-like wound on her forehead, people quickly associated it with the wounds from Christ’s crown of thorns.  

St. Rita suffered much, yet God brought great goodness and beauty and the sanctification of her soul through her sufferings.  Like St. Jude, she is known as a patron saint of difficult or impossible cases and six hundred years after her death, people still visit her tomb, seeking her prayerful intercession.  She is a also a patron of difficult marriages.

As we begin the final week of the easter season, we have this truly remarkable saint who shows us what life can look like when we allow Christ’s Paschal Mystery to manifest in our life. The grace of Christ’s Paschal Victory transformed her as she practiced christ-like patience and forgiveness, trust in divine providence, as she sought strength in prayer and contemplation of Christ’s passion..Easter grace enabled her who lost both husband and sons, drew her to become a bride of Christ and a spiritual mother to many, a woman of peace in every circumstance. May Christ's peace transform our lives as well, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christians may grow in grace by uniting their sufferings to the Sufferings of Christ and know God’s presence with them in their sufferings.

For all those in difficult or abusive marriages, that the Lord will protect victims of abuse and bring healing and reconciliation where it is possible.

That all young people may come to value discipleship of Jesus Christ above all earthly pursuits, be preserved from sin, and grow in grace and holiness. For the newly ordained priests of the diocese of Cleveland, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For the consolation of all of the afflicted and for all those impossible cases which only the grace of God can remedy.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for all of the pour souls in purgatory…

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

May 22 2019 - St. Rita of Cascia - Remaining faithful throughout hardship

Jesus in the Gospel says, those who remain in me will bear much fruit. St. Rita, remained in Christ throughout her difficult marriage and the austerity of religious life.

St. Rita is a truly remarkable figure in the history of the church and the history of the saints. She was born in Umbria in 1381. From an early age she wanted to become a nun, a religious dedicated entirely to God. But her parents had other plans for her. They wanted her to marry, and so she did; she obeyed her parents’ insistence and married at a young age. But her husband turned out to be cruel and harsh and the marriage was very difficult, Rita’s only consolation during these years was God; she united herself often, in prayer, to Christ’s sorrowful passion.

After 18 years of a difficult, abusive marriage, her husband, got himself killed in a brawl. When her two sons vowed to avenge their father's murder, she feared for their souls. She tried to persuade them to let go of their anger, but to no avail, they began to plot a murder.

So she prayed, and she petitioned God to prevent her sons from sinning and losing their souls, even if it meant that they lost their earthly life. And it so happened that the sons developed fatal cases of dysentery; however, before they died, they were reconciled to God, repentant of their hatred.

Free from earthly ties, St. Rita entered the Augustinian nuns in the nearby town of Cascia. She became renowned for her austerity, devotion, prayer, and charity; and for her patience in long-standing illness, she received visions from heaven and the stigmata—a wound resembling the crown of thorns on her forehead, which she bore until her death, which occurred on May 22, 1457.

“Those who remain in me will bear much fruit”. St. Rita remained faithful when the world told her to be unfaithful. And because of her faithfulness, because she remained in Christ, she won the grace of repentance for her sons, she progressed in holiness, which blossomed into deep mystical union with Christ.

Jesus too says, the prayers of those who remain in him will be heard and granted. St. Rita’s prayers were likely so effective throughout her life because of her holiness and perseverance. She has been invoked as one of the patron saints of impossible causes for many centuries because her prayerful intercession in heaven continues to be greatly effective.

May we take her example of faithful long-suffering to heart, may we persevere in our own prayers for the conversion of fallen away family, friends, and neighbors, in our own life, and benefit, too, from Rita’s heavenly intercession, especially in those most impossible of cases, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christians may grow in grace by uniting their sufferings to the Sufferings of Christ and know God’s presence with them in their sufferings.
For all those in difficult or abusive marriages, that the Lord will protect victims of abuse and bring healing and reconciliation where it is possible.
That all young people may come to value discipleship of Jesus Christ above all earthly pursuits, be preserved from sin, and grow in grace and holiness.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, and for a strengthening of all vocations of service.
For all those impossible cases which only the grace of God can remedy.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for all of the pour souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

May 22, 2017 - St. Rita of Cascia - Battered wife, sorrowful mother, stigmatist, saint

St. Rita is a truly remarkable figure in the history of the church and the history of the saints. She was born in Umbria in 1381. From an early age she wanted to become a nun, a religious dedicated entirely to God. But her parents had other plans for her. They wanted her to marry, and so she did; she obeyed her parents’ insistence and married at a young age. But her husband turned out to be cruel and harsh and the marriage was very difficult, Rita’s only consolation during these years was God; she united herself often, in prayer, to Christ’s sorrowful passion.

After 18 years of a difficult, abusive marriage, her husband, who was a quarrelsome fellow got himself killed in a brawl. When her two sons vowed to avenge their father's murder, she feared for their souls. She tried to persuade them to let go of their anger, but to no avail, they began to plot a murder.

So she prayed, and she petitioned God to prevent her sons from sinning and losing their souls, even if it meant that they lost their earthly life. And it so happened that the sons developed dysentery; but, they were reconciled to God before they died, repentant of their hatred.

Free from earthly ties, St. Rita entered the Augustinian nuns in the nearby town of Cascia. She became renowned for her austerity, devotion, prayer, and charity; and for her patience in long-standing illness, she received visions from heaven and the stigmata—a wound resembling the crown of thorns on her forehead, which she bore until her death, which occurred on May 22, 1457.

So many spiritual lessons, from this brief description of her life:

She united her suffering to passion of Christ. And she followed God’s call to a life of religious consecration. I wish we lived in a culture where it was more common, as it was in those days, for men and women to enter religious life, and to become dedicated to God in prayer and fasting.

And she understood the consequences of mortal sin and the value of the souls of her sons. She understood that sin is the greatest of evils because its effects are eternal. So many parents these days are overly concerned about their children’s earthly successes without greater concern for their eternal welfare. The neglect of religious formation is deeply troubling.

St. Rita is one of the patron saints of impossible causes, we certainly invoke her intercession for the transformation of our culture whose conversion seems quite difficult these days. May St. Rita continue to teach us, inspire us, and challenge us, that we may reach the perfection for which we were made for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Christians may grow in grace by uniting their sufferings to the Sufferings of Christ and know God’s presence with them in their sufferings.

For all those in difficult or abusive marriages, that the Lord will protect victims of abuse and bring healing and reconciliation where it is possible.

That all young people may come to value discipleship of Jesus Christ above all earthly pursuits, be preserved from sin, and grow in grace and holiness.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life, and for a strengthening of all vocations of service.

For all those impossible cases which only the grace of God can remedy.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the repose of the soul of Fr. Robert Wendelken, longtime pastor of St. Rita parish, for all of the pour souls in purgatory, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.