Wednesday| May 22, 2024
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
St. Rita of Cascia/strong>
Patient Suffering
When people think of St. Rita of Cascia, they picture her with a wound on her forehead. She prayed to suffer the passion with Jesus and was given this “Gift of the Thorn.” For over ten years until her death, St. Rita suffered a visible wound from the crown of thorns on her forehead.
However, her entire life was a kind of crucifixion. Her husband of an arranged marriage was a cruel and abusive man. He was later murdered in a local feud. Her only children, two sons, died from disease. Yet, as a wife and mother, she bore these incredible sufferings with patience and faith.
While people marvel at those saints who bear the stigmata of Christ, I marvel at the suffering that so many people endure in the daily tragedies of life. St. Rita endured both.
May God give us such patience and faith in the midst of our daily trials!
- Msgr. Stephen Rossetti
James 4:13-17 • Psalm 49:2-3, 6-11 • Mark 9:38-40
