Are
you faced with a difficult problem? Does it seem insurmountable? The prayer to
St. Rita of Cascia (1381‑1457) shown below might help. After all, St. Rita is
known as the “Saint of the Impossible,” and we honor her today, her liturgical
feast day.
Early
in life, she had a strong desire to be a nun, but got married instead,
following her parents’ wishes. By all accounts, her husband was Mr. Wrong, an
abusive man with whom she bore two sons of similar temperament. Apparently she
had the patience of a saint because she prayed for them all and tried to be a
dutiful wife and mother! After 18 years of marriage, her husband was murdered
and her sons, wanting to take revenge for their father’s murder, died of natural causes the following year.
After that, St. Rita finally got her wish and was admitted to the convent of
Augustinian nuns at Cascia. Tradition has it that the nuns there initially
refused to let St. Rita join because she was a widow. One night Saint John the
Baptist, St. Augustine and St. Nicholas of Tolentino opened gates that had been
bolted shut and left her in the chapel of the convent.
When
the nuns found St. Rita there the next morning they understood God’s designs
for her and accepted her unanimously. Talk about prayer opening doors! Many
other miracles were attributed to St. Rita, both during her life and after her
death. As an example, her devotion to Jesus in His Passion was such that a
thorn from the crucifix in her room pierced her forehead one day while she was
praying! The prayer to St. Rita also touches on that miracle:
Oh
glorious St. Rita, who did miraculously participate in the sorrowful Passion of
our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for us the grace to suffer with resignation the
troubles of this life, and protect us in all my needs. St. Rita, model wife and
widow, you yourself suffered in a long illness showing patience out of love for
God. Teach us to pray as you did. Many invoke you for help, full of confidence
in your intercession. Come now to our aid for the relief and cure of (mention
your request). To God all things are possible; may this healing give glory to
the Lord. Through the prayers of St. Rita, may we learn to bear our crosses in
life in the same spirit in which she bore hers. Amen.
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