Maria Teresa Goretti was born of a poor family and was
uneducated. Her father died when she was ten
years old, and one of the men who had worked with her father, 19 year old Alessandro
Serenelli, had made several attempts to seduce Maria. She told him that he could go to hell for
what he wanted to do. Her refusal and
her words of faith so angered him that he threatened to kill her, which he
eventually did, stabbing her 14 times.
It took Maria two days to die
from those stab wounds. And On her
deathbed, Maria, not only pardoned Alessandro, but she said: “I hope that he
too will join me in Paradise.” Maria
died in the hospital after forgiving her murderer. Maria Goretti was scarcely twelve years old,
when she died in defense of her chastity on July 6 1902.
In 1910, during his 18th year in prison, Alessandro
had a dream in which the Maria presented him with a bouquet of lilies—lilies are
of course a symbol of purity. Repentance filled his heart, and he turned to
Jesus for mercy. Alessandro was released from prison after 27
years and after asking pardon of Maria’s mother, who said, “If my daughter can
forgive him, who am I to withhold forgiveness?" Alessandro received Holy
Communion with her at the Christmas Mass.
Alessandro spent his last years as a third-order Franciscan and died in
1970.
Maria Goretti was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950, and it
is the first time in history that the mother of a saint was present at the
canonization. Alessandro was also there,
also probably the first time that the saint’s murderer was present at the
canonization, and thanks be to God, his soul was right with God. He had
testified in her cause for canonization, talking about her holiness, not only
in her courageous protection of her purity, but throughout her eleven
years.
Maria is such a needed saint today. Maria is a patron saint of catholic youth,
especially teenagers and catholic girls.
Of all the things she could have desired as a beautiful young caring
girl, she desired a pure heart, for herself and her Alessandro, not wanting him
to risk his eternal soul in the act of violation. Can you imagine? She was more concerned about
her assailant's soul than her own physical well-being. Here is a truth, as our Lord says, is often “hidden
from the wise and learned, but revealed to little children.”
It is said that "Even if
she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her
everyday life". The holiness of her
everyday life helped her at a crucial moment to see with the eyes of faith and
to love with the heart of Christ.
May St. Maria Goretti help our
culture to reclaim a love of innocence, chastity, and modesty, and help all of
us to remain steadfast in faithfulness to God who is the author of innocence
and lover of chastity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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