May 22, 2024
St. Rita of Cascia
Patient Suffering
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Matthew 5:3

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
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Comments

May 23, 2024 at 07:22 AM

Lord please hear our prayers and bring your light to all those experiencing natural disasters, Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur, the Sudan, and all those suffering around the world - also for their strength, courage and resilience to continue walking in faith. Send them your light. Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur and Sudan. Please protect and send aid to those in need and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace and rebuilding– we who are working towards it and for all those who are suffering or in danger from conflicts. We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.

May 22, 2024 at 04:55 PM

Thank you Msgr and thank you to all the LFF who have responded in regards to suffering. I guess my faith isn’t as strong as all of yours because I feel so sad about all the suffering of innocent people and children all over the world and I ask God “Why, Lord?” Free will isn’t an answer when children are born with cancer or are victims of war and domination. The only thing free will can do is how we respond to the suffering. Dear Lord, forgive me for my doubts.I hope to change the way I feel about suffering.

May 22, 2024 at 09:19 AM

AMEN!

May 22, 2024 at 09:16 AM

Wow you guys are special. What reflections and emotional outpouring. I also what was God's thoughts when tragedy and deaths occur. Then I remember this . Isaiah 55: 8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,     nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,     so are my ways higher than your ways,     my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Ken

May 22, 2024 at 08:50 AM

I know why I'm suffering right now and it's not because I prayed for it but because I ignored God's blessings for so many years and often took credit for them myself. Since fully accepting Christ in January I have suffered in many ways, but I have also received many blessings, for which God received ALL the credit. I pray that my current suffering will decrease soon and relationships I've lost be restored, but realize that life without suffering is death. Whether suffering from a cold or the death of a friend or family member, suffering is a part of life. It allows us to be patient and trusting in the one who will relieve our earthly suffering and promise us an eternity, free of all suffering.

May 22, 2024 at 08:38 AM

God is so above our understanding! He is not our "Santa Claus" in heaven. He gives laws and rules that must be obeyed. Our free will oftens gets us to forget He is God and we owe Him everything. His thought are far above ours and His justice, kindness and peace is ours if we ask in Jesus' name.

May 22, 2024 at 08:38 AM

Msgr Stephen thank you for your words. It's so very hard to see others suffer and to go through it ourselves. I didn't know that about St. Rita, thank you for that information. She must have been a wonderful woman. Blessings to all the LFF. May we find the strength to live in this confused world. Prayers for all the LFF and those needing an extra hand today. May we all go out and spread the love of God throughout all the world.

May 22, 2024 at 08:37 AM

I’ve posted here before about my mom. I think it’s important to share her story again as an example of faith and trust in the Lord. She had polio as a little girl and walked with a limp her entire life, as one foot was shriveled and one leg shorter than the other. Imagine the taunts and difficulties she faced. She watched my dad go to war (Dday plus two, Battle of the Bulge, etc) while she raised their first two little girls at home. He was one of only two in his unit that wasn’t killed, wounded or captured. Dwell on that. It was her promise (which she kept) to say a daily Rosary for the rest of her life that brought him home safely. Mom and dad had 13 children. The twins died one hour and eleven hours after birth. My brother Tommy, a healthy, energetic beautiful little blond baby boy, died at the age of 3 from spinal meningitis two days before Thanksgiving. His last week of life was spent in an iron lung. Her grief was so intense that she said she would never be happy again. Imagine for a minute. My dad died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 48. My mom lost the love of her life at 43, with seven kids still at home. Yet through all of that, she never lost her faith, her trust in the Lord, or her joy! I don’t know why the Lord burdens the good, holy ones with tragedy and hardship. But, I do know this, I am a better, faith filled person because of her! As her eight remaining children held a constant vigil around her bed, in the home she shared with my dad, the last weeks of her life, we witnessed joy and peace as she suffered. She had a clear mind til the end of her 100 years of life, as she constantly reminded us how much she loved us. She was for me, an example of Jesus, on this earth.

Cheryl
May 22, 2024 at 07:52 PM

I remembered your story Kevin... it was and still is such a touching story of your mother and her strength and faith in our Lord... sometimes that's all we have

peggyR
May 22, 2024 at 04:39 PM

Thank you for sharing your Mom’s life story with us, Kevin M. What a beautiful example she was of a saint here on earth! And to think that she raised her family alone and never complained about anything. She was truly an exceptional human being and I can tell by your writing that she gave all her children the greatest gift a parent could give and that’s deep Faith and unconditional Love. Blessings and joy to you and your family!

Salina
May 22, 2024 at 02:47 PM

To God be all the glory ✝️

Stormy
May 22, 2024 at 08:44 AM

Kevin M, wow thank you for sharing this again. That is a wonderful story and you had a wonderful mother. Coming from someone who never really had a mother in her life, it's heartwarming to hear these stories. Blessings, and may God loves shine his light and love on you and your entire family each and everyday.

May 22, 2024 at 08:05 AM

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Is not part of the readings for today. This happened yesterday as well- I think. I study the readings and then I look to the meditations for an added perspective, but the meditation is on the wrong Bible verse.

Stormy
May 22, 2024 at 08:39 AM

Actually Donna yes it is. In the Responsorial Psalm.

May 22, 2024 at 07:45 AM

Amen.

Donna
May 22, 2024 at 10:23 AM

Oh my - sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know.

May 22, 2024 at 07:18 AM

Why does God allow the innocent to suffer? What kind of God is He? Is He really God when He allows unnecessary sufferings? *** Does God have the power to stop all unnecessary sufferings? *** Is there a purpose for sufferings? *** How can we believe in the God Who doesn’t stop or allows sufferings?

Salina
May 22, 2024 at 12:22 PM

There are so many Scriptural references on suffering! It will take me this life time to know them in Scripture and the next to ask God face to face :-) *** Peter’s explanation on suffering in 1 Peter 3:17-18, “God may want you to suffer for doing good. That’s better than suffering for doing evil. Christ also suffered once for sins. The One Who did what is right suffered for those who don’t do right. He suffered to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought Him back to life!” *** Paul’s personal experience of suffering in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “God has shown me amazing and wonderful things. People should not think more of me because of it. So I wouldn’t become proud of myself, I was given a problem. This problem caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer. Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me. Because of how I suffered for Christ, I’m glad that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong!” *** Jesus’ example of suffering in John 3:16-18, “God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son. Anyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life. God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world. He sent His Son to save the world through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. They have not believed in the Name of God’s One and only Son!”

Salina
May 22, 2024 at 10:49 AM

I’m loving this ♥️✝️♥️ Thank you for sharing your comments! As I have mentioned many times before, “I love questions!” *** Jesus asked many questions in Scripture!!! *** I keep telling my students to write down their questions as they study Scripture!!! *** I remember the days when I was at the bottom of my pit…husband filed for divorce and restraining order against me, cut me off completely from all financial accounts and took my two girls (5 and 3) out of state…I was all alone dared not to tell my family or friends (and I had none because I just moved to a new town and telecommuted for work) because of the shame of the filing of a divorce!!! ******* Jesus has prepared everything for such a time as this: someone invited me to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) I was given the The Daily Bread devotional and the best-sisters-forever (BSF) in BSF class to comfort and pray for me and my divorce proceedings ✝️ *** The Holy Spirit was and is my teacher in Bible studies with many of my questions written down in my journal along with every word I read in Scripture (The book of Isaiah was the first book He led me to study) I wrote every word down just so I didn’t miss anything! Plus I didn’t understand anything in Isaiah at all - no history background on Israel or the Bible even though I went to mass on Sundays! *** Many times, the answers came from Scripture explained by the Holy Spirit! *** I look for Scriptural references (which I do see in your comments) to answer any questions I may have on my faith!!!

Mary
May 22, 2024 at 09:00 AM

I believe that God uses adversity to shape us. He is the potter, we are the clay. So many things that happen to us we have no control over, we can only control our own response to our own suffering and that of others. Many times, though, I do wonder why God allows terrible things to happen. I wonder if someday after this life we might gain some better understanding of God's purpose behind terrible events. I have heard an analogy that God is a weaving a beautiful tapestry and we are all threads in his design, but here on earth we can only see the messy back side of the work, with all the knots. But someday we will be able to see the beautiful design he has created. Sometimes my life feels a bit like that, in the day to day you only see the messy threads and knots, but later on you can look back and see that His purpose did weave something good and strong and enduring. Praying for strength for all who suffer.

Vicky G
May 22, 2024 at 08:58 AM

One of my favorite books Salina was one by Father Joseph Breighner. I can’t remember the title anymore. I loaned it out many years ago and it was never returned—I pray is it circulating and doing good somewhere. In the book Fr. talks about our free will but he also talks about God’s creation. The Father created everything and He loves each and every creation including rabbits and rocks and wind and gravity. We are His ultimate and He loves us as no other but His creations are all valued. So Fr. Joe’s story went something like this: There was a bus full of children going up a very steep cliff when something happened and the bus tragically went over the cliff where all inside died. Why, why we ask, would our God allow the driver and innocent children to die like that as well as all of the many family members to suffer their loss. Fr. Joe says we need to understand God loves all of creation and the part it plays. In this instance He allows gravity to do what He created it to do—pull the bus down from the top of the cliff to the bottom. God has created order in this world for a reason, and those reasons are not for us to question but to trust. When bad things happen God expects us to have emotion and maybe even question, but He also desperately wants us to trust that His creation as a whole is ultimately good and we can learn and love and find Him through every piece of it. Gravity and wind and sunshine don’t have a choice but we do—in that we are created in His image. When bad things happen do we choose to believe our God is one of complete love and do the same or do we demand His world to be our way alone? Just a very different perspective and one where I can see the love of God in all things.

Bruce K
May 22, 2024 at 07:51 AM

Hello Salina, I frequently seek answers to those same questions. On matters of suffering caused by humans, I believe God values the gift of free will (even to cause suffering) more than His intervention. On matters of suffering from other sources, I don’t have an answer other than continue to grow my trust in Him. And I feel very inadequate with these answers.

May 22, 2024 at 06:08 AM

Amen.☮️

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