Maria Goretti was an 11 year old Italian girl who was killed today, July 6, 1902, during an attempted rape. She was the third of seven children in a family of migrant workers who worked on the farms near Nettuno, a city south of Rome.
Maria was minding her younger sister, Teresa, while her mother and the others were working in the fields, when a young man who lived in the same building, Alessandro Serenelli, tried to rape her. Maria was alone.
Alessandro attempted to seduce her a number of times before, but Maria resisted his advances. “God does not want this,” she said to him. The young man, enraged, stabbed her 14 times.
Maria survived for 24 hours and expressed forgiveness for Alessandro and promised to pray for him. For three years he was in prison unrepentant, and then he spoke of a vision he had of Maria, who offered him lilies, which he claimed “burned in his hands.”
Alessandro was released from prison and went to beg forgiveness from Maria’s mother, Assunta Goretti. She forgave him and the next day the two of them went to Mass and received Communion together.
They both attended Maria’s canonization as a saint in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 500,000 people are present at her canonization.
Our first reading today, God’s command that Abraham sacrifice his only son, is particularly appropriate for today’s feast of Maria Goretti. Abraham is “our father in faith.” What are the limits of faith? Are we willing to give our life or the life of someone dear to us in answer to God’s will?
The article in Wikipedia on Maria Goretti is well done and worth reading.
The Victor's Place 
Pray for us Maria Goret.
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