Another nice story built around a saint! 😄
This text was channeled directly from Santa Rita.
Her real story
Margherita Lotti was born on May 22, 1381 in Roccaporena, in the mountains of central Italy.
She was the only daughter of a peasant family.
From the age of 15, attracted by religious life, she expressed the wish to enter a convent.
However, her parents decided otherwise. At the age of 17, she was married off against her will to a neighbor.
Her husband, also a farmer, gave her two sons two years apart.
A temperamental man, he was quick to anger. He made many enemies.
Rita regularly prayed for him to relent, but he was eventually murdered.
She subsequently lost both her sons to the plague.
Entering the orders
At the age of 35, Rita of Cascia applied for admission to the Augustinian nuns at the local monastery. However, widows were not admitted.
She tried again a year later. The sisters, impressed by her piety, finally accepted her.
She lived the religious life intensely, devoting herself ardently to the service of the poor and the sick.
Her inner voice guided her, urging her to live in constant love.
Rita performed a dozen genuine miracles, particularly with seriously ill children.
She herself fell ill several times. Despite her suffering, she continued to spread affection around her.
She died on May 22, 1457, on her 76th birthday.
Saint Rita was beatified in 1628 and canonized in 1900.
The legend
Exceptional people, unanimously acclaimed during their lifetime, were often appropriated by the catholic church to create a cult.
Certainly, Rita is an inspiring example for us all.
However, many stories were fabricated after her death by religious leaders to keep her legend alive:
- Her parents who embodied benevolence, and pacified the village.
- The bees circling her cradle.
- Her husband’s nobility, and Rita’s prayers for his conversion.
- Her two sons’ desire to avenge their father.
- The nuns’ demand to reconcile her clan with her husband’s murderers.
- Her request to suffer physically like Jesus.
- The thorn from Christ’s crown that miraculously detached and wounded her forehead.
- The rose on her deathbed.
- The incorruptibility of her body.
Worship of Santa Rita of Cascia
Cascia became a place of pilgrimage in the 17th century.
The Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia was built in the early 20th century.
The saint‘s remains are displayed in a glass shrine. In reality, only the skeleton is present. The mummification is a forgery.
Celebrated on May 22, she is invoked above all for desperate causes.
She is one of the most popular saints.
Who actually was Saint Rita?
Sister Rita of Cascia was indeed an exceptional woman.
During her lifetime, she displayed outstanding qualities:
- Charity.
- Generosity.
- Selflessness.
- Gentleness.
Like Joan of Arc, she is a Great Soul: a soul who has already attained enlightenment, and decides to reincarnate to help human beings rise.
She is the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene (Mary of Bethany).
Rita’s legacy
Rita shows that it is possible to live a life of unconditional love.
She is an example of compassion and caring.
Her simple life demonstrates that we don’t need to achieve great things to radiate joy and love.
She offers herself as a spiritual mentor to anyone who wishes her guidance.
Conclusion
Who really was Rita of Cascia?
A woman with a big heart, and an inspiration to all.
She is present and accompanies humanity in its spiritual awakening.