May 16, 2025
A reading from
the holy Gospel according to John 14:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
May 16, 2025
Saint Who?
Saints Who Were Mothers
Saint Rita of Cascia
Religious († 1457) Feast: May 22
Unlike some of the other holy women featured this month, Rita of Roccaporena, Italy, did not marry a man who understood and supported her life of faith.
Although her parents loved her dearly, they said no when she told them she wanted to become a nun. They wanted to protect her from war, famine, and plague, which were common dangers in Italian cities at the time. Rita’s parents were also elderly and poor, while Paolo Mancini was young and rich. Rita therefore obediently wed Paolo when she was twelve years old. For eighteen years, she did her best to be an example of Christian charity to her hot-tempered, unfaithful, and abusive husband. Finally, her many prayers and tears were answered. Paolo repented and asked for her forgiveness.
But soon afterward, he was murdered by one of his enemies. Their two sons vowed to retaliate by killing their father’s murderers. Rita prayed again, begging God to prevent her sons from committing a mortal sin. Her sons became seriously ill, and, as she cared for them, they too repented and died at peace with God. She spent her final decades living as an Augustinian nun. Rita of Cascia may have lost the presence of her children in this world, but she gained them back for eternity.
Merciful Father, give us the grace to pray without ceasing for those who trouble us.
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©Image : Christ on the Lake of Galilee, Jacopo Tintoretto (circle, 1518-1594), NGA, Washington D.C., USA. Photo Courtesy NGA Washington.
