Lessons learned from St. Maria Goretti

I think one of the biggest obstacles I will face in the faith...is learning to forgive those who have hurt me terribly in the past.

High school was a rough time for me. And even though I made a lot of friends through different leadership conferences and other programs I had attended in hopes of building a resume for college and such, (Oh High School, good grief!), I wasn't able to blend in with the group of kids that were in my tiny class. I didn't have the greatest interest in shopping for expensive clothes, nor did I have the resources to, and I was not into drinking and partying. While being alienated from this class of students, (there were 13 of us in total), I began to believe that I was worthless, unattractive, and unintelligent. I began to skip school, and it took an effect on everything else in my life. All I wanted was to be accepted, but I found myself the odd girl out for two years. I told my mother that I would rather die than attend my High School graduation. And it was the truth.

Fortunately, the Lord showed me, through the blessings of many friends at the Mount and the overabundance of His love, that I am not worthless, unattractive, and unintelligent, but a beautiful, (and eternally grateful) daughter of our King. But even so, learning how to forgive the words and actions by these individuals is certainly a difficult obstacle. But I've been trying to keep in mind that the gift of God's unending love is not something we must keep for ourselves, but it is our duty as Christians to share that love with others. We should take Christ's love as our own, and love the ones that are even most undeserving of love.

Tonight on EWTN, they showed the feature film on St. Maria Gorretti. Maria lived in the late 1800's to 1902 when she was grabbed by her neighbor, Alexander, and he tried to rape her. Maria, not only caring about her well-being but of his, told him that this was sinful, and that he would go to Hell if he acted on those temptations. Maria even prayed for him while he contemplated his options. Alexander ended up stabbing her with a knife.

While Maria Goretti lay dying in the hospital, she said that she had forgiven Alexander, and would greatly love to see him in Heaven. Maria died, and after thirty years in prison, Alexander eventually pled forgiveness from Maria's mother. Her mother responded gently, "If my daughter can forgive him, who am I to withold forgiveness?"

Maria Goretti STILL gave Alexander forgiveness, even when she knew she was at the end of her pilgrimage in this world. Her intense love for our Lord, and our Lord's passion, overflowed and bore fruit in Alexander's conversion, and even in the forgivenes given by Maria's mother.

If our main goal is the salvation of souls...why should we hold grudges? Are grudges for anyone but our own personal selves? And what good does it do in our own hearts? Love that is given and received in Christ, bears fruit. Grudges produce bitterness, and infertile ground..

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us!