St. Maria Goretti and Alessandro Serenelli

I'm not one who has visions or dreams* about Jesus or spiritual events. I just plod along reading one of my 10 Bibles, 20 reference books, or miscellaneous articles in magazines for insight. However, occasionally God puts before me the story of Saint Maria Goretti to remind me of his command to forgive others as we have been forgiven (Lord's prayer). I've come across this story numerous times. Today there she was again on p. 81 of the July issue of Magnificat. Maria was a young Italian girl sexually assaulted and stabbed to death by Alessandro Serenelli. He was arrested, tried and jailed, all the while blaming others and society for his sins. Maria appeared to him years later in a dream in prison, and she forgave him. Although he was still denying he was to blame for his deeds, his life changed. He was released from prison after 27 years (probably in part because of his changed life) and was also forgiven in person by Maria's mother, who was still alive. Unlike the 5th century or 10th century martyr stories, this all happened in the 20th century, so there are accurate reports, even photographs. Alessandro lived out his life as a Capuchin lay brother serving others, and lived long enough to attended Maria's canonization in 1950. There are churches and parishes named for her, and I'm always moved by this story of forgiveness.

 I have such a struggle forgiving Joe Biden that I hope someday I can be as forgiving as Maria and her mother. I'm not there yet.

* I did have one dream, very special, in 1974 when Jesus appeared, but it's been so long I'll need to go back and look for my notes. I've noticed (and you have too) that people my age either forget or embellish important events. I have 20 years of blogs and a lot of notebooks, so somewhere I probably have it recorded.

Who is hurt when you don't forgive?

Mary Poplin writes: "I was with Mother Teresa in Calcutta when [Christopher] Hitchens’ book came out, following his critical BBC movie. I had the opportunity to ask Mother about it and, struggling to recall the incident, she replied, “Oh, the book. It matters not. He is forgiven.” She and the sisters simply obeyed Christ’s commandment to forgive unconditionally.

Some say that not forgiving is like drinking poison hoping the other person dies. The sisters, read his book, prayed and fasted, examined themselves for any error, and let it go. They were free of his vitriol; he was bound by it."

Trump on abortion and punishing the woman

It's like the "when pigs fly" question. I'm strongly pro-life. Met (on the internet) yesterday a 70 year old pastor adopted at birth who was the result of incest/rape, a story of how God brings something good out of evil like Joseph being sold by his brothers and later saving a whole nation. So I don’t make exceptions to kill the baby for the man’s crime. However, “IF abortion becomes illegal,” will never happen, and that was Matthews question. And when it was illegal up to the 1970s, all those ridiculous stories about women dying in back alley abortions were just that, and the movement has admitted the phony statistics because the ends justified the means. Trump stepped into a gotcha question—in his thinking, and most who claim to be conservatives, if you violate a law, you pay for it. Except you really don’t. I’m guessing he doesn’t either as a business man. How many rich kids go to jail for marijuana possession, or a heroine overdose, and how many CEOs go to jail for cooking the books. Did President Clinton go to jail for having sex with a staff member, which in most companies would have at least cost him his job, laws put in place by progressives wanting to protect women from aggressive bosses. 

 

Everyone who participates in an abortion is killing a living human being—the parents, the abortionist, the nurse, the clerk who does the paper work, the friend who drives the mother to the clinic, the donor who helps pay the bills, the legislator who made it possible, the pharmaceutical company who makes the drugs or company who creates and sells the special equipment. Even the insurance company which covers it (many churches have this coverage for their staff). Right now it is legal to do that. But whether or not they will ever be prosecuted in the U.S. in anything but their own soul, can’t even be imagined. 

 

The law is over 40 years, and you can’t go back. There are millions of women who regret their abortions (and probably just as many who don’t), and only through God’s forgiveness for what they have done can they be whole. It is estimated over 60% are pressured into it, by boyfriends, parents, or peers, and in my opinion, they need to do some soul searching also.

A grudge can be a heavy burden

There's a reason why it's called resentment.  You are re-sending the grief back to yourself.