Genesis 22 : 1 – 19/ Psalm 114 : 1 – 6, 8 -8 / Matthew 9 : 1 – 8

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Maria Goretti. St. Maria Goretti was born to a poor family in Italy. Maria was well known to her neighbours for her cheerfulness and piety. When she was twelve, she was a victim of assault. She preferred to die rather than to lose her virginity. she spent a difficult childhood assisting her mother in domestic duties. She was of a pious nature and often at prayer.

With splendid courage she surrendered herself to God and his grace and so gave her life to protect her virginity. Parents can learn from her story how to raise their God-given children in virtue, courage and holiness; they can learn to train them in the Catholic faith so that, when put to the test, God’s grace will support them and they will come through undefeated.

Brethren, we are each reminded of our obligation and calling to commit ourselves wholeheartedly (as Abraham our father in faith was ready to sacrifice and offer Isaac his beloved) to the Lord, to give our all, in devotion to God, remembering just how the Lord Himself has been faithful to the Covenant He has made with us.

“Father, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the Sacrifice”? Son, God himself will provide the sheep for the Sacrifice.

My dear brothers and sisters, if God has led you to it, He will lead you through. The battle is the Lord, surrender your will to God, offer your self totally to the service of God and humanity. Live a life of gratitude to God. The truth is that, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Everything or anything God ever asks you or us to do, even if it is difficult, He asks because He has something great in mind for you or us. God is not a taker; He is giver. He never tells us to do anything unless it is for our ultimate benefit.

According to the Gospel reading, that when Jesus saw their faith – the faith of those who carried the paralytic – he said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven’, and then went on to heal him of his paralysis. It was the faith of his friends that opened the paralytic up to the healing presence of Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters, as the saying goes, “a friend in need is a friend indeed” There are or were times in our life that we needed the faith of others to carry us on because our own faith was weak or even non-existent. Having been carried by the faith of others at the beginning of our Christian lives, there will come a time when we will be called upon to carry others by our faith.

St. Maria Goretti appeared to her murderer in his prison cell to forgive him, and he was subsequently converted. Like St. Maria, the Lord will often call us to bring others to Him by our faith. Faith sends out its own waves that touches the lives of others. So, the Lord works through our faith to bring others to him.

May all of us dedicate ourselves with ever greater commitment and faith, now and always, and be ever great role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us.