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Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A. - the Catholic Kingdom!

Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A. - the Catholic Kingdom!

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as good manners and obedience permitted.Obedience was <strong>the</strong> virtue according to which sheregulated all her actions. She regarded a beck<strong>of</strong> her parents as a command <strong>of</strong> God which shecould not violate ; and her obedience was all <strong>the</strong>more willing as it accorded with <strong>the</strong> impulse <strong>of</strong>grace which impelled her to <strong>the</strong> practice <strong>of</strong> allo<strong>the</strong>r virtues. For obedience, as Blessed Simon <strong>of</strong><strong>Cascia</strong> observes, is <strong>the</strong> gate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> virtues.<strong>Rita</strong>'slove <strong>of</strong> retirement and <strong>of</strong> prayer had already risento <strong>the</strong> heroic point. Whoever wished to see herwas certain <strong>of</strong> finding her ei<strong>the</strong>r at home or in <strong>the</strong>~r neighbouring parish church, which was herfavourite place <strong>of</strong> prayer, where she spent entirehours in meditation and devotion, to <strong>the</strong> greatedification <strong>of</strong> all. Although penance is a virtuehardly suitable to so tender an age or to suchperfect innocence, yet <strong>Rita</strong> began froin herearliest years to chastise her body by differentmortifications, and especially by fasting ; and to1 render her abstinence more meritorious and acceptableto God she distributed to <strong>the</strong> poorchildren <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> neighbourhood that food whichshe denied herself, thus bringing forth fruits <strong>of</strong>mercy and charity from <strong>the</strong> root <strong>of</strong> penance.This was <strong>the</strong> only way in which her loving goodwilland tender compassion could show <strong>the</strong>mselves -in action ; poverty made anything fur<strong>the</strong>r im-More Free Items at www.catholickingdom.com

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