Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:02 In the Roman martyrology for the sixth day of July, the Roman martyrology is a liturgical book that contains a list of the martyrs and the saints for each day of the year. We read it at prime or when you're living in a, in a big community at one of the meals and the entry for the sixth day of July, we read quote in a tuna and Campagna to Roma st. Maria Goretti most pious youth viciously killed in defensive virginity, whom Paul pies, 12 solemnly added to the list of Holy martyrs, close quote. So today on our feast day, using quotes from a whole series of different authors, we'll take a closer look at the story of Saint Maria. Goretti Maria karate was born on October 16th, 1890 little town of Cornell, adult, Italy mountains, up near van Kono she's baptized the next day. Then some years later at the age of five, she was confirmed.
Speaker 0 00:01:00 Her mother taught her from earliest days that she must never commit sin at any cost in 1899. Her family moved from the region of aunt Kona. It's up on the Adriatic side of Italy to play South of Rome, a farm near Anzio it's in the marshes near Natuna. They're very poor. Her dad was a sharecropper on the estate of an Italian nobleman. Soon after arriving, he caught malaria. He was so weakened by the disease that in order to bring in the harvest, he had to take in more help. So the landlord sent two men to help. Mr. Gretty bring in the harvest, Giovanni, sir, an alien, his 18 year old son, Alessandra, and they were given room and board in the Gretty home. As long as it was plenty of work, all went well. But as winter set in mr. Sierra and Ellie started drinking and he wasn't a happy drunk.
Speaker 0 00:01:52 Now Sandra was a solid character himself. He had absolutely no friends. When everybody else went to mass, I was Zandra would water off elsewhere by himself. He'd regularly lock himself in his room for hours and hours with stacks of bad magazines as the winter in the spring, mr. Grady's malarial fever and chills got increasingly worse until in the late spring of 1900, he died. His dying words to his wife were a Suntek go back to Cornell though, but she had no money and all those miles to feed. So the Santa granny simply couldn't go back to Cornell though. Some Rhea found herself at the age of nine, running the house and caring for five brothers and sisters while their mother worked in the fields. Maria never learned to read. She never had the opportunity. She had to work. She learned all her prayers by heart, from her mom and in turn taught them to her brothers and sisters, no matter how hard a day she had every night before she went to bed, she said entire rosary for the peaceful or poles of her father's soul, Maria desperately wanted to receive her first communion.
Speaker 0 00:03:00 And so after 11 months of preparation, her parish priest said that she was ready to make her communion for mass on the day of her first communion, which is Corpus Christi, 1902. She knelt down before mother brothers, her sister neighbors, and asked them to partner faults. During the sermon, the priests preached the children, quote, fervent words on the great love of Jesus for them. He exhorted them warmly ever to preserve their souls, pier and innocent and to die rather than commit a mortal sin. He recommended to them the practice of saying three hail Marys each evening in honor of Mary immaculate close quote, Maria was beaming and she made her first communion with the rest of a class. Later in the day mother's center told her quote, you have received Jesus today. He must try ever so hard now to be good and pleasing to him.
Speaker 1 00:03:58 Close quote.
Speaker 0 00:04:00 Well past the 12th comments on st. Maria's desire to receive Holy communion quote, in order to receive her Eucharistic Jesus. She doesn't hesitate to travel a long dusty road in mid summer, under a scorching sun. Let me insert a parentheses seven miles. I don't know what time tomorrow I receive Holy communion. She said one day that tomorrow was to come and that Holy communion, but what a tomorrow and what a communion the very afternoon of the day on which she spoke those words, she shed her blood in order to remain faithful to the spouse of Virgin
Speaker 1 00:04:41 Close quote. The DePaul
Speaker 0 00:04:44 That day was the first Saturday in July. The day before the feast, the precious blood and those days, the feast, the precious blood took place on the first Sunday in July after lunch, everyone else was out thrashing beans. While Maria was sitting on the porch, outside mending a shirt, watching the baby, who's lying there on a blanket. Sandra says that he has to go get his handkerchief, which he forgotten as room a room, decorated with pictures of immodestly dressed. Women cut out of his bad magazines. Then he appears in the doorway of the kitchen. Maria, come here, come here immediately. Maria's frozen Hosanna, drags her by the arm. She clings the banister and screams for help, but he drags her in and bolts the door. How's Sandra, let me go. Let me go. Hosanna pulls out a dagger. She screamed for help. No one can hear. She runs around the table trying to escape him. He pins her down, but she can, can use to struggle. No, I will not Alessandra. No. Let me go.
Speaker 1 00:05:53 Let me go.
Speaker 0 00:05:55 No, no. It is a sin. God does not want this. If you do this, you will go to hell. What are you doing? Alexander? You will go to hell. At this point is Alessandra himself testified later. Something snapped in him and he stabbed her over and over the chest and the belly in the back the whole time he was stabbing, her Maria kept holding her dressed on modestly over knees. And she kept saying, God does not want this. You will go to hell till she finally slumped into unconsciousness.
Speaker 0 00:06:29 Oh, Sandra thought she was dead. He stood up, threw the knife away and locked himself in his room. After some time, the terrible crime was discovered as the neighbors lifted Miranda bed and ran for the doctor. A Sunday asked Maria, who did this to you. She whispered it was Alessandra. Mama has Sandra, but why? Because he wanted to come in an awful sin. And I would not at six o'clock four hours after she'd been brutally attacked. The horse, John ambulance arrived to take her on a bumpy jarring seven mile journey to Natuna at the hospital. They discovered their intestines and lungs had been punctured and her heart had been grazed all in all. She'd been stabbed 14 times. She underwent two hours of surgery without anesthetic in the morning before the priest gave her Holy community, asked her if she'd partner attacker. Yes. For the love of Jesus, I pardon him. And I want him to be with me in heaven, her mother wept and the priests wept. And he gave her Holy the Attica. It was her fifth and her final communion At about three o'clock in the afternoon of July six, 1902. Well, the bells were ringing for vespers and quotas passionate and the nearby church were chanting. The antiphons from vespers to the feast of the precious blood. Who is this, that cometh? The beautiful one. Why then is the apparel red? And I garments like there's a trend in the wine press st. Maria already died.
Speaker 2 00:08:10 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:08:15 During the trial, Alessandra was arrogant and unrepentant he's found guilty because he's only a minor he's 20 years old. He received a sentence of 30 years hard labor. He showed absolutely no remorse. Next door neighbor who knew them both well stated quote, one day a priest came to see him. Alexandra yelled wildly. It was all your fault that I lost her. You and your teachings. Santo howled like a maniac and lunged at the priest close quote. During his eighth year of imprisonment, Alexandra had a remarkable vision quote, the prison bars and walls fell away. And his cell was a sunlit garden. Blooming with flowers. Gordon came a beautiful girl dressed in pure white. He saw it was Maria. She was walking among flowers, smiling, and without the least fear, he wanted to flee for her, but he could not. Maria pick white lilies and hand them to him. Sing Alessandra, take them except a Lily's one by one 14 of them. But as he received them from her fingers, the lilies did not remain lilies, but change into so many flaming lights. There was a Lily turned a purifying flame for every one of the 14 motor blows. He struck her.
Speaker 0 00:09:33 Maria said smiling, Allie, Sandra. So I've promised your soul shall someday reach me in heaven and the scene of incredible beauty dissolve in silence, close quote, Alexander began screening for the guards. I saw her, I saw her call the priest, bring me the priest. The guard sarcastically told him to write a letter. So he did quote, I am deeply sorry for what has happened. I've taken a life of an innocent girl whose one aim was to save her parody, shedding her blood rather than give into my sinful desires. I've publicly retract the evil I have done. And I beg pardon of God. And of the stricken fam one hope encourages me that I also may one day obtain God's pardon? As so many others have done. How Sandra Sarah Nelly, November 10th, 1910 close quote. He had a total conversion after he's released from prison. He spent time wandering around working as a farm hand and Christmas Eve, 1937. He went to visit a Santa Gretty and we had not seen since his trial to beg her pardon, quote. She placed her hands on his head crest, his face, and gently said, how's Sandra Maria forgave. You Christ has forgiven you. Why should I not also forgive? I forgive you. Of course, my son. Why have I not seen you sooner? You're evil days are past. And to me you are long suffering son close quote.
Speaker 0 00:11:22 The next morning, Christmas day is sent a grid. He went to mass with Alessandra. When it came time for communion, they went together to communion rail. Then Alessandra turned and said to the parishioners quote. I have sinned deeply. I have murdered an innocent girl who loved virtue more than life. May God forgive me. I beg your pardon, close quote. They knelt side by side receive Holy communion. And from that time on the Gretzky's called him uncle Alessandra <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:11:57 During the beatification hearings, Sandra testified at great length since he was the only witness that could supply the actual details of the murder. He spent the rest of his life as a gardener and a caretaker and a catch and monastery a few days before his death, he died on May 6th, 1970 Alexandra was asked if he had any advice to give to young people. Here's what he wrote. Quote, I sincerely asked part of God and of the entire world for the crime, which I committed against the martyr Maria Goretti and against purity with all my heart. I plead with you to avoid all immortal literature and shows and whatever else will lead you into sins of impurity close quote on April 27th, 1947, Maria gritty was beatified. Then on June 24th, 1950, Pope Pius, the 12th canonized Saint Maria Goretti and the presence of some 800,000 people was the largest crowd ever to Tim to canonization Maria's mother, a son who was present the first mother in the history of the church we present for the canonization of her own child. And a murderer was also pressed. There are so many lessons we can learn from the life and death of Saint Maria Goretti, but we just don't have time in a sermon to go into great detail. So mentioned just a few aspects of her story that are really worth pondering and pondering at length importance of confirmation that early in age as possible importance of fervent communions, the importance of training your children in virtue,
Speaker 0 00:13:45 The incredible influence of parents who love God and our lady, and are serious about teaching their children to never sin the importance and strength given to someone, but the virtue of purity, the violent destructive power pornography immodesty and impurity, the importance of avoiding occasions of sin, dangerous literature, dangerous movies, dangerous websites, dangerous company, the necessity and sanctifying power of forgiveness. Spend some time really mowing that over. Consider it the whole time that was Sandra attack here at Maria is worried that he's going to go to hell. And even though she knew she was dying, she gave her murder. And so doing practicing that heroic virtue not only became a Saint, but one the grace to bring him to heaven as well, and a family. So profoundly Catholic that they can actually embrace the murderer of one of the family members with love and forgive him. He call him uncle and they can one of their family.
Speaker 3 00:15:07 Okay.
Speaker 0 00:15:07 Let's close with some thoughts from our Holy father POS at 12th, spoken on the occasion of the canonization Saint Maria Goretti quote, why is it then when you read or listen to the story of her life, why does this story move you even to tears? Why has Maria Gretty so quickly conquered your hearts and taken the first place in your affections? The reason is that there still in this world apparently sunk and immersed in the worship of pleasure, a crowd, Nan, immense multitude on whom a supernatural fragrance of Christian purity exercises, an irresistible and reassuring fascination behind the monitor to Maria gritty stands a spectacle of a scandal that at the beginning of the century was practically unnoticed. During the past 50 years, the Pope is speaking of 1950 during the past 50 years, coupled with what was often a weak reaction on the part of decent people.
Speaker 0 00:16:06 There has been a conspiracy of evil practices, propagating themselves in books and illustrations in theaters and radio programs and styles and clubs, and on the beaches, trying to work their way into the heart of the family and society and doing the worst damage among the youth, even among those and the tenderest ears in whom the possession of virtue is a natural inheritance. Julie beloved youth, young men and women who are the special object of the love of Jesus and of us. Tell me, are you resolved to firmly resist with the help of divine grace, every attempt made to violate your chastity, you fathers and mothers. Tell me, are you ready to watch as far as any lies over your sons and daughters to preserve them and defend them against so many dangers that surround them and to keep them always far away from places where they might learn the practices of impiety and of moral perversion.
Speaker 0 00:17:09 Finally, all of you know that above the unhealthy marshes and filth of the world stretches and immense heaven of beauty, it is the heaven which fascinated little Maria, the heaven to which she longed to ascend by the only road that leads there, which is religion, the love of Christ and the heroic observance of his commandments above the unhealthy March and filth of the world stretches and immense heaven, a beauty that heaven, which fascinated a little Maria, the heaven to which she longed to ascend by the only road that leads there, which is religion, the love of Christ and the heroic observance of his commandments. We greet you or beautiful and lovable Saint Margaret on earth. An angel in heaven looked down from your glory on this people, which loves you, which venerates, glorifies, and exalts you in you, the children, and all young people find a safe refuge, trusting that they should be protected from every contamination and be able to walk the highways of life with that serenity of spirit and deep joy, which is the heritage of those who are pure of heart. Amen.
