Ornaments of Grace St. Rita of Cascia

The Lord calls you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, a wife married in youth and then cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back. In an outburst of wrath, for a moment I hid my face from you; but with enduring love I take pity on you, says the Lord, your redeemer. Isaiah 54:6-8 Isaiah was telling Israel not to abandon hope during their exile in Babylon. It was a time when they thought they might, due to their sin, never see freedom or God’s saving grace again. But Isaiah had a message for all who suffer. He assured the Israelites that God loved them and would again rescue them and bring them peace. St. Rita of Cascia understood Isaiah’s message. While she suffered greatly due to the sins of others, she trusted in the redeeming love of the Lord. Born in 1381 in a suburb of Cascia, Italy, Margherita Lotti was known by the shortened form of her name, Rita. Her parents were known as peacemakers, and their holy ways were not lost on Rita. She wanted to enter religious life, but her parents arranged a marriage for her according to the custom of the time. She was only twelve when she married Paolo (Say Paa-lo) Mancini. Paolo was rich, but he had a bad temper and abused Rita in every way possible. Still, she tried to bring him to holiness through the way she lived as wife and mother. Together they had two sons whom she raised in the Christian faith. While Rita was successful in converting Paolo by her humility and kindness, he had already made many enemies. Plus, the Mancini family had an ongoing feud with the Chiqui family. Paolo tried to stop the feuding and did not participate in it, but the anger between the families increased. After eighteen years of marriage, Paolo was stabbed to death by someone in the Chiqui family. At his funeral, Rita forgave the murderers publicly. Unfortunately, Paolo’s brother wanted to continue the feud and tried to get her two sons to avenge their father’s death. Rita prayed that God would spare them from committing the sin of murder. The boys both died of dysentery before they could involve themselves in such a sin. She mourned the deaths of her husband and two sons. After losing her family, Rita tried to enter the convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Cascia. Even though the Sisters recognized Rita’s holiness of life, they turned her away. They did not want the convent to be associated with her husband’s violent death and the feud that caused it. Still, she pursued what she knew God was calling her to do. The Sisters finally told Rita that she could enter religious life if she reconciled the two feuding families. She begged her patron saints to help her, and they did. She was able to bring peace between the families and then entered the convent. Rita lived a holy life in the monastery, following the Rule of St. Augustine and always trusting in prayer. She died of tuberculosis in 1457, but no doubt found herself immediately in the Promised Land of heaven. She knew her Redeemer intimately. No matter what difficulties she faced, like those faced by the Israelites in Babylonian captivity, she never lost hope. No wonder St. Rita is the patron, with St. Jude, of impossible cases, of those who have difficult marriages, of those who have suffered abuse, and of parents who worry about their children’s holiness. St. Rita of Cascia is today’s Ornament of Grace. OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS How has the Lord helped you or a loved one triumph over seemingly insurmountable difficulties in life? How does St. Rita’s life of holiness show that the goodness of your life can bring healing and hope to your whole family?