May 22 – Memorial for St. Rita of Cascia, Religious
St. Rita (1386-1457) was the daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti, a couple known as the Peacemakers of Jesus; they had Rita late in life. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, Italy, and showed interest in a religious life. However, when she was 12, her parents betrothed her to Paolo Mancini, an ill-tempered, abusive individual who worked as town watchman, and who was dragged into the political disputes of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Disappointed but obedient, Rita married him when she was 18, and was the mother of twin sons. She put up with Paolo’s abuses for 18 years before he was ambushed and stabbed to death. Her sons swore vengeance on the killers of their father, but through the prayers and interventions of Rita, they forgave the offenders.
Upon the deaths of her sons, Rita again felt the call to religious life. However, some of the sisters at the Augustinian monastery were relatives of her husband’s murderers, and she was denied entry for fear of causing dissension. Asking for the intervention of St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Nicholas of Tolentino, she managed to bring the warring factions together, not completely, but sufficiently that there was peace, and she was admitted to the monastery of St. Mary Magdalen at age 36.
Rita lived 40 years in the convent, spending her time in prayer and charity, and working for peace in the region. She was devoted to the Passion, and in response to a prayer to suffer as Christ, she received a chronic head wound that appeared to have been caused by a crown of thorns, and which bled for 15 years.
She was confined to her bed the last four years of her life, eating little more than the Eucharist, teaching and directing the younger sisters. Near the end, she had a visitor from her home town who asked if she’d like anything. Rita’s only request was a rose from her family’s estate. The visitor went to the home, but it being January, knew there was no hope of finding a flower; there, sprouted on an otherwise bare bush, was a single rose blossom.
Among the other areas, Rita is well-known as a patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. This is because she has been involved in so many stages of life – wife, mother, widow, and nun, she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled – and never lost her faith in God, or her desire to be with Him.
- Patron Saint Index
Acts 25:13-21
Jn 21:15-19
“Do you love me?”
I once went out with a guy whom I thought was ‘perfect’. But little did I know that he had some serious insecurities. He got jealous and suspicious easily, which eventually drove a wedge between us. Needless to say, that relationship did not last. One of the hardest things for me was his constant need for me to prove to him that I loved him; and it seemed like the more I tried, the more was expected of me the next time round. It took an emotional and mental toll on me. One day, after one of his meltdowns, I remember asking myself if the relationship was worth it if it caused so much distress and unhappiness just to make someone feel happy and secure about himself. Truth be told, I probably found it hard at the time to end things, because I did not want to hurt him; and probably more because I was afraid that no one else would love me. I too had my own insecurities.
So, it is a relief to know that God’s love is not like that. His love does not require us to prove that we earn it or deserve it — it is unconditional. HE loved us first, even though we were sinners and didn’t deserve it (Romans 5:8). How many times have we sinned against God, yet He takes us back over and over again? Extrapolate that into modern day relationships and tell me if you would stay if your other half repeatedly did you wrong. Probably not; but, God’s love is beyond human love. It is by His grace that we are saved, that we are loved, not by any effort of ours. The deepest love that we have ever felt for someone is probably only a fraction of God’s love for us.
When Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” multiple times, it was not to ask Simon to prove his love for Jesus. When I read those words, I feel a certain gentleness in it. I feel like Jesus was trying to help Simon understand the depth of his love. Three times Simon denied Jesus, and three times Jesus is asking if Simon loves him. I almost feel as though Jesus is saying even if you sinned against me three times, that is how many times I will take you back and more. If I was a fly on the wall in that conversation, I imagine Jesus might be saying to Simon, “Hey, look at me. Do you see that I love you no matter what you have done? Do you understand that I would love you many times over? Simon, it’s okay.”
I wish I had known Jesus then, when I was stuck in the loop of my insecure relationship before. I wish I had known that I could rest in the security of God’s love, knowing that real love – His love – does not need me to prove that I am worthy of it; that either way, He sees me and loves me for whatever version I am. A messed-up version, a sinful version, incomplete, insecure, sensitive – He loves me anyway. I would not have been afraid to let go of relationships that did not serve me or be afraid that no one would be there for me, because He would have been there. But I know now. I know that no matter what happened in the past or is happening, or what will happen, God is my constant. His love is constant. “Do you love me?” will never be a demand to prove my worth, but a reminder of what I am worth.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Annette Soo)
Prayer: God, Your love is so deep and unending, I am not worthy to describe it or be deserving of it. I pray that I will never be far from it.
Thanksgiving: God, for all the times when I thought I was not worthy, for all the times I was made to feel small, for all the times I felt unloved, thank you for being by my side and loving me for who I was, who I am, broken pieces and all.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment