In 1381, in Roccaporena, a small village near Cascia, Italy, a special girl was born!
Her parents named her Margherita (Margaret)!
But the world would know her as Rita! (Affectionate nickname for Margaret!)
Her parents were elderly! They had prayed much for a child!
And God gave them Rita! Only child! Much loved!
They say that, while still a baby, white bees flew around her cradle!
They entered and left her mouth without stinging her!
It was a sign: Rita would be sweet as honey!
The Girl Who Wanted to Be a Nun
From childhood, Rita was devout!
She prayed much! Went to church! Helped the poor!
When she was 12, she told her parents:
"I want to be a nun! I want to consecrate myself to Jesus!"
Her parents were startled!
"No, daughter! You're an only child! You need to marry! Give us grandchildren!"
Rita tried to convince them! But couldn't!
The Forced Marriage
At 18, her parents arranged a marriage for Rita!
The groom was named Paolo Mancini!
He was a rich man! Handsome! But...
He had a violent temperament! Aggressive! Quarrelsome!
Rita didn't want to! "Father, mother, I don't want to marry him!"
But in those times, children obeyed parents! Without questioning!
With a heavy heart, Rita accepted!
18 Years of Suffering
The marriage was difficult! Very difficult!
Paolo was violent! He yelled! He threatened! Sometimes he hit!
He was unfaithful! He drank! He fought with neighbors!
Rita suffered in silence!
But she never fought back! Never complained!
She prayed! She offered suffering to God!
She treated Paolo with affection! Patience! Love!
They had two sons: Giangiacomo and Paolo Maria!
Rita loved them deeply!
But she worried! The boys were growing!
Seeing their violent father, they were learning violence!
"When I grow up, I'll avenge my father on his enemies!" they said.
Rita prayed: "Jesus, don't let my sons be violent like their father!"
But Rita didn't give up on her husband!
She continued loving! Praying! Being patient!
And gradually, Paolo began to change!
Rita's sweetness moved him!
"Why is she so good to me? I treat her so badly..."
Paolo repented! Asked forgiveness! Changed!
He stopped drinking! Fighting! He became better!
It was conversion! Fruit of Rita's prayers and love!
1416: Paolo's Assassination
When everything seemed better, tragedy!
In 1416, Paolo was assassinated!
Old enemies! Revenge for past fights!
They killed him brutally!
Rita was widowed at 36!
And worse: her sons, now teenagers, wanted revenge!
"We'll kill our father's murderers!" they swore.
Rita was desperate!
Not because of widowhood! But because of her sons!
"If they kill, they'll commit mortal sin! They'll lose their souls!"
Rita prayed intensely!
She did something extraordinary:
She asked God to take her sons before they could kill!
"Lord, I'd rather they die innocent than live as murderers!"
What a courageous prayer! What faith! What love!
And God answered!
The following year, 1417, both sons became ill!
Serious illness! (Probably dysentery)
Rita cared for them! Prayed! Prepared them!
"Forgive your father's murderers! Don't hold hatred!"
The sons repented!
"Mother, we forgive! We don't want revenge!"
They died in peace! Saved!
Rita cried much! But thanked God!
She preferred sons dead and saved than alive and condemned!
Entering the Convent
Rita was alone! Widow! Without children!
She remembered: "Since childhood I wanted to be a nun!"
"Now I can!"
She asked to enter the convent of the Augustinians in Cascia!
But the nuns refused!
"You're a widow! We only accept virgins!"
"And there's a feud between families! Your presence would cause problems!"
Rita insisted! Once! Twice! Three times!
Always refused!
But Rita didn't give up!
She prayed! Fasted! Asked for intercession!
One night, while praying, an extraordinary miracle happened!
Saint John the Baptist, Saint Augustine and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino appeared to her!
"Come, Rita! We'll take you to the convent!"
And miraculously, they transported her!
Rita appeared inside the convent! With doors locked!
In the morning, the nuns found Rita praying in the chapel!
They were shocked! "How did you enter? Everything is locked!"
Rita told about the saints!
The nuns understood: it was God's will!
They accepted Rita! At 36, she was finally a nun!
She fulfilled her childhood dream!
Life in the Convent
Rita lived in the convent with extraordinary fervor!
She prayed for hours! Fasted! Did penances!
She obeyed perfectly!
Once, the superior tested her obedience:
"Rita, water that dry stump every day!"
It was dead wood! Impossible to sprout!
But Rita obeyed! Without questioning!
She watered it faithfully for months!
And a miracle happened!
The dry stump sprouted! It grew! It became a lush vine!
It bore grapes! It still exists in Cascia today!
It's called "Saint Rita's Vine"!
Proof of extraordinary obedience!
God honors those who obey with faith!
The Thorn in the Forehead
In 1442, Good Friday, Rita was meditating on Christ's Passion!
She looked at the crucifix! She thought about Jesus' sufferings!
"Jesus, I want to participate in Your Passion! I want to suffer with you!"
Suddenly, a thorn from Jesus' crown...
...miraculously detached...
...and pierced Rita's forehead!
Rita felt terrible pain!
But also joy! "I participate in Jesus' Passion!"
The thorn remained permanently!
It made a wound in her forehead! It never healed!
Worse: the wound exuded a horrible smell!
So bad that Rita had to live isolated from the other nuns!
She stayed like this for 15 years! In a separate cell!
Alone! With a stinking wound! Suffering!
Rita offered everything to God!
"Jesus, I accept this suffering! For love of You! For sinners!"
She didn't complain! She didn't lament!
She lived in union with the crucified Christ!
She was a "victim of love"!
What extraordinary holiness!
1450: The Journey to Rome
In 1450, there was a Jubilee in Rome!
All the nuns wanted to go!
But Rita was isolated! With a stinking wound!
"I can't go! I'll embarrass the sisters!"
But the nuns insisted: "Pray! Ask for a miracle!"
Rita prayed: "Jesus, if it's Your will..."
And a miracle happened!
The wound disappeared temporarily!
The smell left! Her forehead was clean!
Rita could go to Rome! Participate in the Jubilee!
It was a wonderful trip! She saw the Pope! She visited basilicas!
But when she returned to Cascia...
...the wound came back!
It was a sign: God wanted Rita to continue suffering!
And she accepted it joyfully!
Winter of 1453: The Rose in Winter
In the winter of 1453, Rita was very ill!
Bedridden! Weak! Dying!
A cousin came to visit her!
"Rita, can I bring you anything?"
Rita, without strength, murmured:
"A rose from the garden of my house in Roccaporena..."
The cousin was confused! "Rita, it's winter! There are no roses! Everything's frozen!"
But the cousin went to Rita's house!
She looked at the garden! Everything covered with snow! No flowers!
But then... she saw something extraordinary!
In the middle of the snow, a beautiful red rose! Blooming! Fragrant!
It was a miracle!
She picked the rose! Took it to Rita!
Rita smiled! Thanked Jesus!
The cousin asked: "Anything else?"
Rita: "Two figs from the fig tree!"
The cousin thought: "Also impossible! Winter!"
But she went back to the garden!
And there they were: two ripe figs on the leafless fig tree!
Another miracle!
She took them to Rita! Rita ate them with gratitude!
That's why Saint Rita is represented with rose and thorn!
May 22, 1457: Death
On May 22, 1457, Rita was dying!
She was 76 years old! She lived a long life of sufferings!
But also of joys! Of union with God!
The nuns gathered around!
Rita was at peace! Serene! Radiant!
At the moment of death, something extraordinary happened!
The thorn disappeared! The wound closed!
Rita's face became beautiful! Young! Without marks!
And perfume of roses filled the convent!
Everyone smelled it! It was a sign from Heaven!
Rita died holy! And everyone knew it!
Rita's body was displayed!
Crowds came! To see! To venerate!
And the body did not decompose!
It remained incorrupt!
Until today! More than 560 years later!
It's displayed in Cascia! In a glass case!
Millions visit it annually!
1900: Beatification and Canonization
Rita was beatified in 1900!
And canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI!
Saint Rita of Cascia!
Patroness of impossible causes!
Because her life was full of impossibles that became possible!
- Impossible to convert violent husband? She converted him!
- Impossible to enter the convent? She entered miraculously!
- Impossible for dry stump to sprout? It sprouted!
- Impossible rose in winter? It bloomed!
Saint Rita Today
Today, Saint Rita is one of the most beloved saints in the world!
Especially in Brazil!
Churches dedicated to her! Images! Devotions!
May 22 - her feast - is an enormous celebration!
Faithful bring roses! Ask for impossible graces!
And Saint Rita intercedes!
Thousands of miracles through her!
Prayer to Saint Rita
Prayer to Saint Rita of Impossible Causes
Glorious Saint Rita,
Faithful wife, dedicated mother, holy widow, fervent nun!
You who suffered so much in life:
Violent husband, vengeful sons, painful widowhood!
Rejection by nuns, thorn in forehead, isolation!
But you never lost faith!
Never stopped trusting in God!
And God worked impossibles through you!
Intercede for me in this impossible cause!
[Make your request]
You who received a rose in winter,
Obtain for me this grace that seems impossible!
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!
With God, nothing is impossible!
Saint Rita, pray for us! Amen!
Reflection
