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Report about Virgin Mary and Saint Maria Goretti What we might ask is the relationship of the Virgin Mary with God. The answer to this question is simply contained in the fact that God is the Father of Jesus, and Mary was the Mother of Jesus, therefore that makes Mary the wife of God. She was an Israelite woman and was chosen by God to carry and give birth to his firstborn Son. Similarly Saint Maria Goretti was also handpicked by God for her humble yet unrelenting love and acceptance of God into her heart.
She was a simple little poor country girl, not yet 12 years of age, and yet God chose her, clothed her with honor by the power of his Spirit. The bond she had with God was so strong that she chose to give her life up for it and be forever the living proof of the Pope John Paul II quote “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.’ (R.schmid, 2011). Maria Goretti from a very early age was able to ‘accept what pertains to the Spirit of God.’ It was this Spirits voice that she has incorporated in every aspect of her life.
She did not flee from this voice even as she was attacked by her assailant but it was the voice of her conscience that let her not give in. She chose death over the alternative of being defiled knowing that her body was the house of God. The gift of her fortitude was so great that the Holy Spirit helped her make her moral decision and chose such a difficult feat with her young spirit. She chose death when she saw no other way to defend her virginal purity. Her final act is a perfect depiction of how she lived her entire young life (Likoudis, 2004).
The Virgin Mary was a perpetual virgin. She was a virgin, ‘ante partum, in partu, et post partum,” or before birth, during birth and after the birth of Christ; She being the spouse of the Holy Spirit so her virginity is a symbol of her purity and wholeness which tires directly with the dogma of immaculate conception. This was her way of life. This was the crux of her moral decision. Her faithfulness to the Lord was her unique role in the salvation of the world. Spiritually Mary was perfect, and her body was to reflect this perfection (Church fathers, web).
In today’s world Maria Goretti serves as ‘a model for authentic holiness’. She is living proof of the fact that age is no factor that limits the love for God. In fact while she was not even 12 years of age, she was a countercultural sign to a world that was immersed in the process of rejected God and genuine love. She is a symbol not only of unparallel love and holiness but she continues to radiate the light of Christ amidst the decadence of impurities of the modern world, serving as a much need role model for parents and the youth of today to live a Christian life and love with such conviction that it surpasses your individual selfish and petty desires.
The Virgin Mary as a role model portrays a similar image for the youth of today. She was a symbol for obedience, purity and such unparallel strength that if one looks at her life closely they will be overcome with the amount of respect and admiration for her. She knew that allowing God to use her in order to bring about the savior would result in a lot of difficulties and hardships for her; the thought that she would be the victim of a lot of scandals and speculation once she had the child. She knew that all eyes would be on her son and obviously on her, being the mother of the Savior.
And yet she put her trust in the Lord and willingly offered herself to him showing unparallel and unquestioning faith and trust. Her display of love for God, over a love for herself is what makes her, above everything else, a role model for Catholics today. References Church fathers. Perpetually Virgin. (CCC 496-507, 510). Retrieved from: http://www.catholicbasictraining.com/apologetics/coursetexts/3b.htm Schmid.R. (2011). What was the Virgin Mary’s relationship to God? Retrieved from: http://robertschmid.info/?p=242 Likoudis.J. (2002).
Patroness of Purity - St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr. Lay Witness magazine, July/August 2002. Retrieved from: http://www.mariagoretti.org/likoudisarticle4.htm
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