Thought for the Day – 6 July – The Memorial of St Maria Goretti (1890-1902)
One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonisation—250,000—symbolised the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria Goretti. She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When Maria made her First Communion not long before her death at age 12, she was one of the taller and somewhat backward members of the class.
Maria may have had trouble with catechism but she had no trouble with faith.
God’s will was holiness, decency, respect for one’s body, absolute obedience, total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: it is a privilege to be loved by God and to love Him—at any cost . Oh, that we too may always remember this!
AnaStpaul 