Saint Maria Goretti

Saint Maria Goretti, Noah Buchanan, 2008. Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Questions

-How do you feel looking at this painting?

-What stands out to you when looking at the aspects of this painting?

-Do you know the story of St. Maria Goretti? What do you think is happening here?

-Why are there so many lilies? What do you think that they mean?

Reflection

Saint Maria Goretti holds a special place in my family's hearts and always in our home as we have a relic of her. Her presence in our lives is a constant reminder to always strive for purity of body, mind and soul. Maria was just 11 years old in 1902 when she was raped and murdered by her next door neighbor Alessandro, who had helped her family with chores on their farm. Alessandro was 9 years older than Maria and he slowly started to develop impure thoughts and desires for her. He tried to make advances onto her for many months, which she denied all the while leaning on her faith and love of God for her purity. Eventually, it came to be that Alessandro forced himself upon Maria, her protecting her virginity but unfortunately not being able to escape being stabbed multiple times. She miraculously survived the stabbing, but died the next day with the words on her lips, "I forgive Alessandro Serenelli … and I want him with me in heaven forever.”

Alessandro was quickly caught and had entered prison with a hardened heart and often left in isolation due to his angry outbursts against other inmates. This painting shows the miraculous appearance of Maria Goretti to Alessandro six years into his imprisonment. This is the moment that Alessandro's heart broke open to the Lord. In his dream of Maria, she handed him 14 pure white lilies, representing the 14 times that he had stabbed her. Although she had forgave him on her death bed, it was not until this vision that he had truly seen, accepted, and felt her forgiveness. After the vision, Alessandro was a completely changed man. He

I love this painting because of the inclusion of Mary. The Blessed Mother is the everlasting fountain of forgiveness. She truly desires to be the source of our love for one another, always eager to forgive and reconcile. Maria Goretti had the heart of Mary and the eternal view that she wants all to be united with Christ in heaven. This type of forgiveness is so hard to both offer and to receive. How many times have I wanted to hold onto anger and judgement instead of seeing the person who hurt me as a beloved child of Christ whom He wants to love? How often do I reject forgiveness because I do not feel like I deserve it? Maria Goretti is a reminder that to forgive is to accept all suffering and wounds for Christ - that we are called to give it over to Him and His Blessed Mother. The lilies are so bountiful just as the forgiveness and purity of our Blessed Mother is abundant. She desires to give all her virtue and blessedness to us, if only we just accept it.

When Alessandro received each lily, they became a source of great light, burning his fingers. The goodness of the gift physically hurt Alessandro, purifying his body and his heart. Perhaps you have felt this hurt of goodness and light in the confessional. When you are deep in sin and the darkness it can hurt to come into contact with the light and the truth. It is like coming out into the sun after being inside a dark house for a long time. We have to take a moment to find our bearings and undergo the discomfort before we can see what is around us and take a step forward in confidence. Approaching forgiveness from the Lord in confession can be exceptionally difficult when you have been away from the sacrament or have committed a mortal sin. The goodness that the Lord wants us to experience and accept will be burning, sometimes painful if we are not used to it. That should not stop us from humbly accepting the forgiveness that is offered to us. We must also offer forgiveness to those that have hurt us deeply, just as Maria did. This offering of forgiveness is sanctifying if we allow it to be sincere and inspired by the Lord. God desires us to experience His purifying, perfectly Good heart and forgiveness.

Information

The inclusion of the lily is a constant reminder of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her purity. This purity is beyond just purity of body - it is purity of mind and soul. This purity was truly lived out by St. Maria Goretti until the end of her life and is part of her greatness as a saint. She is depicted in the painting as wearing her confirmation veil to convey her innocence, purity and chastity. Maria begged to be confirmed and receive the Lord early in the Eucharist, which was granted to her at the age of 6. Her purity was more than just her young age, it was the choices that she made to dedicate her life to the Lord and strive to be as holy as she could be. The Blessed Virgin Mary made these same choices, helped and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In the painting, there is a palm branch wrapped with a red ribbon laying at Maria's feet. This is a common symbol of martyrdom. She is the patron saint of children, murder victims and rape victims. This patronage reflects her lived experience and the end of her life. She is not just a victim but is truly a martyr for the faith. Martyrdom is the "supreme witness given to the truth of the faith" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2473). Palms have been a longtime symbol of victory, as seen when Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem before His crucifixion and the people laid palms on the ground. They would do this when kings would come back from victorious battles and a common known symbol. Now in Christianity we see it as a partaking in Christ's victory by giving their life for the faith. The martyrs have a unique experience of victory over evils and sin, dying in order to further the Kingdom of Heaven. This victory that does not make sense without understanding that our final destination is not here on this Earth, but instead in heaven.

Alessandro seems to be illuminated by an unknown source of light. He emerges from the darkness in a style that is a modern take on chiaroscuro and the Baroque style of painting done by Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi. The lilies that are handed to him are so immensely bright - the Holy Spirit is truly present. It is the Lord that illuminates Alessandro, as He illuminates all of us when we are dredged in the darkness of sin. The darkness that he is in is opposed to the light that Mary and Maria are in. What is also illuminated is the chains that Alessandro are in. These chains may be a representation of the chains of sin that Alessandro experienced, as well as the actual chains of prison. We may feel these chains everyday, that we cannot separate ourselves from our sin so much that our imprisonment becomes our identity. This is not the truth though. The truth is that the Lord is always present and desires to free us from any and all darkness and sin that we experience. He wants to unite ourselves to Himself.

This painting is in a beautiful side chapel and it is quite large in size at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You have to physically lift your head in order to see the whole painting and it is reflective of how we have to constantly lift our heads to the Lord. It is above a side altar, so you are actually at the eye level or even slightly below Alessandro. This brings even more reflection of how our own sins can be considered just as grave against God, no matter the actual gravity of the sins. We must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit in order to do anything good or be a child of God.

Also notice the singular window that is showing light on the outside of the jail cell. Alessandro's soul was so darkened and stoney that no light was able to penetrate. Despite this darkness, there is always hope outside of captivity in sin, anger, crime, and hurt. This imagery is a reminder of the light that exists outside and the hope for the future. When Alessandro was released from prison, he humbly begged Maria's family for forgiveness. They gave it to him and even took him into his family as almost an adopted son. He lived out his life as a gardener, cloistered from society in a monk’s abbey. He was present at Maria's beatification in 1947 with her mother, two sisters and brother. In 1950, St. Maria Goretti was canonized as one of the youngest saints in the Catholic Church. The future holds hope and light that we are not aware of and do not always know how to reach. Maria's forgiveness and legacy brought Alessandro to the Lord, encouraging us all to do the same to those in our lives that hurt us.

More Questions

-Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?

-Is there someone that you are waiting for forgiveness from that might never come? In what way does the Lord want to enter into that feeling with you?

-What chains in your life do you desire the Lord to release you from?

-Where have you been able to travel on pilgrimage that has beautiful sacred art? Is there someplace close by where you can go to immerse yourself in the Lord's beauty?

Let us pray -

Lord, please help us experience your forgiveness the sacrament of confession and live that out daily. Help us to forgive those who have harmed us and accept what we cannot change from our past. May these moments of pain, suffering, and hurt be opportunities to experience your love and light even if it hurts for a moment. Purify our hearts, bodies, and minds so that we may be ever more united to your Blessed Mother and your Redemptive Son. Walk with those who are far from you so that they may have a deep conversion to follow you.

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us!

Amen.