A reflection on St. Rita of Cascia

Praised be Jesus Christ!!!
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Rita of Cascia. Just like St. Jude Thadeus and St. Expeditus, St. Rita is also known as the saint of the impossible, saint of desperate cases. But that's not the main focus on the life of this said saint. Si Sta. Rita de Cascia ay isang babaeng maraming pinagdaanan and mostly, lalu na nung panahon ng kanyang kabataan. She was forced to get married. She was married and her husband was murdered. When her children grew-up as a tradition, they want to take revenge on the death of their father. Pero dahil sa sobrang pananalig at pananamapalataya ni Rita sa Diyos. At dahil na rin sa pagnanais niya para sa kanyang sarili at para sa kanyang mga anak na mamuhay ng banal, to live a holy life, she prayed that God will take her children the way they are before the devil may get them. That part it is very touching. Yan ang nanay!!! Kahit masakit ninanais niya na lang na mamatay, na kunin ng Diyos ang kanyang mga anak kaysa ang mga ito ay maging mamatay na tao. kitang-kita sa buhay ni Sta. Rita that she chose the better way for her children. Kahit masakit, she learned to let go. Yun naman talaga ang tunay na umiibig, handang bumitaw at ipasa-Diyos na lang ang mga bagay-bagay. Dahil alam naman nating lahat na sa Diyos ay mapapabuti ang lahat.  When these things happened, she decided to enter the convent, in the Order of St. Augustine, for it was her life-long dream to become a nun before she was forced by her parents to get married. At first hindi siya pinayagan, kasi one of the main requirement in order to become a nun is that all sisters should have a single status and a virgin. But as time pass-by through the intercession of her Patron Saints (St. Augustine, St. Nicolas de Tolentino and St. John the Baptis) she made it and successfully entered the convent. This only proves na bago ang isang tao could reach the fullness of one's vocation, kailangan marami muna itong pagdaanan. Rita's vocation wasn't an easy one, naging asawa siya, naging magulang at sa bandang huli siya ay naging madre. Kitang-kita naman sa buhay ng santang ito ang pagnanais niyang mamuhay para sa lumalang sa kanya. At kung ang isang tao ay may ganung pagnanais na kagaya kay Rita, there will always be a way to reach the fulfillment of the vocation one is holding. St. Rita's life like of all saints is a life of love, love for God, love for his Church and love for the people of God. And like Sta. Rita our calling is to have also love burning within us. What I like the most on St. Rita is her deep love for the Passion of Christ her deep love for the suffering and crucified Jesus. Dun naman talaga makikita ang kabuuan ng pag-ibig, tunay na pag-ibig. Na ang Diyos  napako sa Krus para sa ting kaligtasan. St. Rita has this great love for the God crucified on the Cross. Our calling, just like of Rita is to share on the sufferings of Jesus, is to share on the Passion of Jesus. And the normal question to that calling is, "Paano?" "How?" Obviously in our time today the only way we can have a share in the passion of Jesus is through the Mass and living the Mass by going to the Christ's of the streets, the poor, the marginalized, the outcast and the persons, the Christ's this world is forgetting through acts of great indifference. The best way to share in the suffering of Jesus is humbling our selves in order to help those poor Christ's. The poor are the living stigmatas of Christ. They are the perfect reflections of the suffering Christ

here on earth. And our calling in seeing that image of the suffering Christ here on earth is to help them "Kalingain sila." Like Rita she received the stigmata from our Lord and she lived that stigmata, she lived the life of the suffering Christ a life of love. And we have the same calling of Rita to live the life of the  suffering Christ a life of love and self offering.  And at the end of our lives, when we die, when we face the Triune God we will have the chance to say "Lord to the best of my abilities I've tried to live for you, through you and in you."   I hope we may end our lives just like of Rita, full of joy, full of Christ. Our love should be like of a rose, which Rita asked before she died. a rose, though thorny but it brings good fragrance. Our live though thorny, though hard but should bring fragrance to God and neighbor by living a life of holiness.
St. Rita of Cascia, Pray for us!!!
Jesus I trust in thee!!!
Oh Mary conceived without sin!!!
Pray for us who have recourse to thee!!!