St. Maria Goretti

Today is the feast day of St. Maria Goretti. St. Maria died very young, at the age of twelve. Her attacker was 18 year old Alessandro Serenelli who began stabbing her with a dagger when she struggled against his attempt to ravage her. Right before she died at the hospital, she forgave her attacker, who was taken to jail. For years Alessandro remained unrepentant, until he had a dream, or vision of the young Maria, gathering flowers and offering them to him. His life changed drastically, and upon his release, he begged the forgiveness of her mother.

When she was cannonized in 1950, Alessandro was among the crowd who came to celebrate.

This young woman's story is an amazing account of forgivness and love. When Christ commanded us to love our enemies, He must have meant something like this. Through her selfless ability to forgive, despite suffering terrible wrongs, she obtained the salvation of Alessandro's soul. Her profound insight helped her to look past the pains suffered in this world to think of the life to come, not only for her, but for her attacker as well. In light of such breathtaking courage, forgiving those who hurt us seems a little bit easier, doesn't it? Amen.

Vincent Chrisitan

Independence Day.

In honor of the hard earned freedoms of our county, let us take a moment to give thanks to those men and women who have given their sweat, blood and tears to gift us with the extraordinary prize of freedom. Let us not view it with cold indifference, nor take such freedom for granted. We live in a country that, despite all it's shortcomings, allows us to practice our faith freely and speak out against injustice. In a time when the Church falls under heavier opposition everyday, we are not powerless to resist it. Stand up, speak out, get involved.

For "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:13

Let us offer up a special prayer on behalf of those men and women in Iraq and around the world who fight our wars, so that we may rest in peace. Amen.

Vincent Christian

On Suffering

"If God is good, then why are good people made to suffer?" It's a common enough question, one that you've probably heard, or even asked in your lifetime. There are even some Christians who believe that if you are unhappy, or are experiencing some sort of suffering, it is because your walk with God is somehow lacking. If everything is not going well for you, then you must be doing something wrong. This is a rather unrealistic notion, and one that is certianly not backed up by scripture. In fact, Christ warned that to live the Christian life is to know suffering. In fact, if the One who lived a perfect life, Christ, had to suffer, why should we then expect that our life should be one of ease?

There are countless examples of faithful servants of God who experienced suffering in their life. Possibly the most obvious of these is Job. God was very pleased with Job, but still allowed terrible suffering to test this devout man. Is this because God is thoughtless, uncaring or cruel? Certianly not. As Christians, we can take comfort in the knowledge that while we may suffer, our suffering is never without purpose. Suffering helps us to mature in our walk, come to a deeper understanding of Christ's suffering, and counsel others who also suffer.

But the unhappiness that suffering brings need not rob us of the peace of God. Even in the midst of frightful heartache, one can find some comfort in one's faith. Even I at times, as the tears rolled down my face, was strengthened by the knowledge that God can take bad times, even those brought on by my own sin, and turn them into something good and beautiful so that I may learn and grow even closer to Him. While this knowledge didn't necessarily erase the mourning, it did give me hope that the days of sadness would pass, and there would be something worthwhile left when they did.

The apostle Paul addressed the subject and exhorts us to rejoice in our suffering, and be glad when we are persecuted. It is when you do what is right, or take a stand for the Truth that perscution comes. Therefore even in light of the persecution, there is joy to be had, for while it may cause pain in this life, you can rest assured that your sorrow will be cleansed away in the next.

Too often people seek to be Christ-like by only imitating the good times: miracles, healings and teachings. But if you want to be fully like Christ, you must take all of Him, even the suffering Christ of the cross. If you would be like Him, you must "take up your cross, and follow [Him]." (Matt. 16:24) Amen.

Vincent Christian