Our First and our Last Communions

by Riccardo Sanno

The story of an eleven-year-old girl who was murdered on this day in 1902 following a sexual assault is an extraordinary one. By any reasonable judgement, victims of sexual violence bear no guilt if they are unable to resist an attack. Nevertheless, Maria Goretti is honoured for her heroic witness, courage, and forgiveness. For a brief account of her story see here.

St Maria Goretti did not write about the Mass, but she lived its meaning profoundly. Her life reflected the sacrificial love, forgiveness and union with Christ that the Mass makes present. Having made her First Holy Communion only a short time before her death, she received her final Holy Communion with the same if not more fervour and devotion. May the same be true for those of us who have received the Eucharist over many years.

In the twenty-four hours between the assault and her death, she forgave her attacker, received the Last Sacraments, and remained steadfast in faith as she enrolled as a Child of Mary. After some decades her murderer was released from prison after undergoing a profound repentance and conversion. In a remarkable way, Maria’s courage and forgiveness became instruments in the redemption of the very man who had killed her.

Here are some of the lessons that may be drawn from this extraordinary story: we must trust in the infinite mercy of God and be slow to judge others, for we never know the final outcome of a person's life; we should be prepared to give ourselves in loving service to others, as Christ gave himself for us; and, as a society and as a Church, we must work tirelessly to eradicate sexual abuse, domestic violence and the destructive mentality of misogyny, domination and control that can become embedded within cultures and social structures including even, at times, the Catholic Church.