We Should Want Heaven for the World

Today I wanted to tell you about St. Maria Goretti, a young martyr from Italy in 1902. When Maria was 11 years old, her 18-year-old neighbor, Alessandro, attempted to rape her. She screamed and said, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" and went on to say that she would rather die than submit. When Alessandro heard these words, he went on to stab her 14 times.

Maria was found laying on her kitchen floor, and was rushed to the hospital. Through almost 20 hours of excruciating surgical procedures with no anesthesia, the effort was hopeless. The stab wounds were too awful to heal. In Maria's last moments of life, a priest had asked her if she forgave her attacker Alessandro, and her last words were, "I forgive Alessandro Serenelli...and I want him with me in Heaven forever."

Wow. What beauty.

Many of us want Heaven for ourselves, for our families, friends, and loved ones, but how many times have we said that we want Heaven for our enemies? It is a hard thing to do, no doubt, but it is a beautiful and holy thing.

Maria Goretti not only forgave her killer, but she wanted a beautiful eternity for him as well. She wanted the absolute best for him, and nothing less. And it is even more incredible that this was only about 24 hours after he had stabbed her while she sat in excruciating pain.

So let us remember that we should want Heaven for not only those we love, but also for those that are hard to love. We should want it for all those that don't know God. We should want it for all those that claim they do not want Heaven. We should want it for those who have wronged us. We should want it for the angry, the sad, and for those who hurt. We should want it for the murderers, thieves, and the imprisoned. 

We should want Heaven for the world. 

               Below is a picture of Alessandro Serenelli, a changed man, praying to St. Maria Goretti. 

                             He repented while in prison, and lived a holy life until the day he died. 

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