Warring families. Persisting love. Tragic death. While this month’s saint was not a Montague or a Capulet, she was involved in her own family feud. She definitely had the “patience of a saint” when it came to dealing with internal family issues. St. Rita of Cascia lived a difficult life where many of the things she experienced were not of her own choosing. When she was given the opportunity to finally have an easy existence of leisure and wealth, she decided to adopt the simple life. Like our Blessed Mother, St. Rita chose to live out her vocation of motherhood not only for her family, but for all of God’s children. She may not have had a Romeo and Juliet ending, but St. Rita was able to experience an even greater love from the One who first loved us and loves us unconditionally. For St. Rita, to love her Lord and Savior was to know of the greatest love story ever told.
Rita was born Margherita Lotti in Roccaporena, Italy in 1381. It was said that after her baptism, she was surrounded by white bees which flew in and out of her little mouth without harming her! Her family reflected on this and believed that it was a sign from God granting the gifts of virtue and obedience to the baby. From a young age, she knew what her vocation was going to be nun and she asked her parents to join the convent. However, her parents refused and arranged her to be married to Paolo Mancini who was a wealthy, but cruel man. She became a wife and mother as a teenager and had to endure Paolo’s violent temper while tending to her homemaking duties. Her husband was a known womanizer and frequently stepped out of his marriage and he had a lot of enemies in Cascia because of his unpleasant behavior. In spite of all of this, she persevered in trying to influence Paolo to be a better person.
Her efforts bore fruit as her husband began to become a more patient and just man. So great was his change that he even renounced a huge family feud that was happening between the Mancinis and the Chiquis. The feud was known locally as La Vendetta and became so violent that Paolo was brutally killed by his allies. At his funeral, Rita publicly forgave her husband’s murderers, but Paolo’s brother did not. In fact, he held a grudge and convinced Rita’s two sons to join him the quest for revenge. Tried as she may, the two boys refused her pleas and began to accept their uncle’s toxic thirst for vengeance. Without any options left, the saint prayed fervently to God asking for Him to stop her sons from committing the mortal sin of murder. Miraculously, her petition was answered with the two young men reconciling with God before they died. Now that she did not have a family, Rita decided to join the convent, however, she was not allowed to! Even though she had the proper moral character, there was still the civil war between the Mancinis and Chiquis. She was told by the prioress that she could join once La Vendetta came to a peaceful end.
Rita knew she could not accomplish this monumental task on her own so she prayed to saints John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Mary Magdalene for their intercession. She worked diligently to have the two houses come together an negotiate a peace. Though the two families were very stubborn. It wasn’t until Paolo’s brother was infected with the bubonic plague when thing began to change. His ailment softened his heart and Rita was able to work with him to resolve the blood feud between the family. With her mission accomplished, Rita was allowed to St. Mary Magdalene Monastery in Cascia, Italy at the age of thirty-six. She gave thanks to her three patron saints and would now begin her new vocation.
Rita acclimated well at the monastery as she performed her chores with diligence and received the sacraments regularly. The saint had a devotion to the Passion of the Christ and when she was sixty years old, she asked to suffer like Jesus. After her request, a wound appeared on her forehead which looked like she was wearing a crown of thorns. It was so deep it did not heal and she endured it for fifteen years until her passing in 1457. She spent the remainder of her life in prayer, caring for sick nun, and providing spiritual counsel to those who visited the monastery. Legend has it that Rita was bedridden from tuberculosis and asked her cousin to pick a rose from the garden. It was still wintertime, but the cousin found a single rose that was in bloom and she took it back to the saint.
If we find that we are having trouble being obedient to God, we can follow Rita of Cascia’s example and ask for her intercession:
“Help me to be as trusting of God in all His plans for me.
Help me this day to give myself to Him as you did,
without limit, without fear, without counting the cost.
Help me to be generous in serving the needs of others,
patient in all difficulties,
forgiving toward all who injure me.
Help me to learn more deeply the great mystery of the Cross of Jesus,
so that by embracing it as you did,
I may come to experience its power to heal and to save. Amen.”
Stay awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
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