Fr. Jeffrey Kirby - The Life and Witness of St. Maria Goretti: Our Little Saint of the Beatitudes

The Life and Witness of St. Maria Goretti

The Life and Witness of St. Maria Goretti

Our Little Saint of the Beatitudes

BY REV. FR. JEFFREY F. KIRBY, STL

TAN Books

Charlotte, North Carolina

Copyright 2015 by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby.

All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in articles and critical review, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the BibleSecond Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition). Copyright 2006 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover illustration: Original art commissioned by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Painted by Artist: Noah Buchanan. Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Cover design by Caroline Kiser

Print Edition: 978-1-61890-754-7

eBook Edition: 978-1-61890-755-4

Kindle Edition: 978-1-61890-756-1

Cataloging-in-Publication data on file with the Library of Congress

TAN Books Charlotte, North Carolina www.TANBooks.com 2015

To My Nieces:
Skylar, Kelsey, and Julia

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

Contents

The Simplicity of the Goretti Family and the Call to Every Christian FamilyThe Loss of Luigi Goretti and the Vocation of the Christian FatherThe Meekness of Hard Work and the Christian Work Ethic in Our DayDesiring Holiness in What We Think, Say, and DoThe Mercy of our Little Martyr and her Mother and the Struggle to Forgive OthersThe Blood of Our Martyr and the Battle for Purity in Our HeartsThe Work for Peace in Our Relationship with God and With OthersOur Martyrs Legacy and Our Summons to Suffer for the Sake of Righteousness

This book is about Maria Goretti, a small saint with a great witness. In our world that oftentimes struggles with its fallen nature and seeks out sparks of hope or kindness, her Christian witness shines like the morning dawn that breaks through the nights darkness.

St. Maria Goretti offers each of us a testimony of holiness, exemplified by her purity and mercy. It is the testimony of her life lived in Jesus Christ and sealed by her own blood. Quoting the sacred liturgy, it is the testimony of a sacrifice acceptable to God for the praise and glory of His name and for our good and the good of all His holy Church.

In the Sacred Scriptures, the Prophet Isaiah tells us that peace will come and the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard with the kid, the calf with the lion and the fatling, and a little child shall lead them (11:6). The Lord Jesus fulfills this prophecy in His public ministry when He teaches: Truly, I say to you, unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:3).

Maria Goretti is one such child who leads us, who shows us how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. She died at age twelve. She grew up in a poor farming family and was unable to read or write. Maria Goretti would not otherwise have been known to the world if her outstanding virtue and heroic witness of purity and mercy did not shine out from her small town to the ends of the earth and through the course of the past century and beyond.

St. Maria Goretti is a witness to each of usof every age and culture, of every economic and social status, of every level of discipleship and desire for holinessof what it means to be a Christian in our world today. Our little saint is an example and encouragement to each of us who struggle to live a life of virtue, who want to live in purity of heart, who want to forgive or be forgiven; in summary, to all of us who seek the face of God and strive to live fully human lives in Jesus Christ.

A Brief Biography

Throughout her life, Maria Goretti was known for her physical beauty, strong work ethic, deep piety, and cheerfulness that was always tempered by a strong sense of responsibility. Due to these features in her character, she was sometimes affectionately called the little old lady.

In her family, Maria was the third of seven children. She was born in 1890 to a struggling farming family in the region around Ancona on the eastern side of Italy. Due to the growing poverty of the family, the Gorettis sold their farm and sought to become hired hands on the farmlands of others. This led them to Le Ferriere, near Nettuno, on the western side of Italy. In the marshlands of this region, the family was finally able to find employment.

The work was long and hard, however, and eventually the Gorettis had to welcome Giovanni Serenelli and his son, Alessandro, into their home as partners to share in the farms labor. Sadly, the extra help made little difference in lightening the workload, and the health of Marias father worsened. Eventually, he succumbed to the prevalent malaria of the region. Luigi Goretti died when his saintly daughter was only nine years old. Marias mother, Assunta, and her siblings were at the mercy of Giovanni Serenelli and his son.

Life was very difficult for the Gorettis. Giovanni was an alcoholic and was dismissive and abrupt to Assunta and her children. He demanded that the widow and her older children work in the fields. He instructed that Maria, as the oldest girl, should stay at the house and care for domestic duties and the youngest child. Giovannis son, Alessandro, who was in his late teens, had a violent temper and was addicted to pornography. Unknown to Assunta, he regularly made inappropriate comments to Maria and twice propositioned her towards lewd acts.

On July 5, 1902, while Giovanni, Assunta, and the older children were out working in the fields, Alessandro returned to the house knowing that Maria would be alone watching the youngest child. Alessandro carried a knife and attempted to rape Maria. She refused and told him that it would be a sin. She was more worried about offending God than about her physical safety. She fought Alessandro and, in his rage, he brutally stabbed her fourteen times.

Alessandro went and hid while Assunta and Giovanni, responding to Marias screams, returned to find the young girl alive but covered in her own blood. She was rushed to the local hospital, and the surgeons were shocked that she was still alive. The doctors attempted to save her life and began surgery without anesthesia. Little Maria survived for a day in excruciating pain. She told her mother that she forgave Alessandro, and she died in the peace of Jesus Christ, clutching a crucifix and an image of Mary.

A Witness and a Workbook on Holiness

In these pages we are going to dive into the amazing life of this little saint and her powerful witness. The different chapters will highlight the various aspects of her life and devotion. To help share the story of this virgin martyr, we will use the eight Beatitudes of St. Matthews Gospel (5:312).

The Beatitudes, known as the way of Jesus Christ, will serve as an outline of the saints narrative. Each of the eight Beatitudes will serve as a guidepost for each of the eight chapters of the book, and will be a focal point from which the inspiring life and witness of St. Maria Goretti will be described and elucidated.

Unlike other biographies, however, our book will not stop at just the narrative of this saints life. We will go one step further. In each of the chapters of the book, Marias witness and example will be applied to our own discipleship.

St. Maria Goretti is not a saint to be pitied, but rather one to be emulated. The following chapters will explore the vast areas of our own lives and discipleship where the example, prayers, and encouragement of this little saint can help us grow closer to God and our neighbors. We want to apply and truly live in our own lives the inspiring story and witness of St. Maria Goretti.

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