Today, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Maria Goretti, a virgin and martyr. This memorial calls to mind one of the basic Christian virtues that appears outmoded in our age. It reminds us of the virtue of purity, which greatly delights the Lord.
Dazzling White
God is purer than the sun. He has no blemish in him. In the vision of Daniel, the clothing of the Ancient of Days was as white as snow; His hair was white like wool and His throne was flaming with fire (Dan. 7:9). John’s vision also testified:“The hair on His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire“ (Rev. 1:14). Little wonder then that when Jesus was transfigured on mount Tabor, “His clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them” (Mk 9:3). His transfiguration revealed his divine nature, purity per excellence.
We are products of this pure nature of the Divine, the reason we are called the image of God. We are required to preserve this original purity until we return to our origin, God. That is the reason Jesus came after the original fall, namely, to restore our original purity. He came to share in our humanity so that we could share in his divine nature. Sharing in his nature is to share in the purity of God. In this way, we reclaim our original purity.
Sexual Impurity
Sexual immorality is one of the vices that destroyed this purity and disfigure our image of God. Against this background, St. Paul never stopped admonishing believers to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). To Timothy, his son in the faith, he said, “flee from youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22). St. Peter also alerted believers on the dangers of sexual immorality: “Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Sexual impurity destroys the beauty of the soul and defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is our body (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19). One of our fundamental Christian duties is to defend this temple bought at the price of Christ’s blood.
Maria Goretti stands out in this battle against the sins of the flesh. Though she was still a child, she was determined to preserve the temple of her Lord with all the strength in her to the point of shedding her blood. She was 11 when the 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli began to make advances to her. She rebuffed them all, but, unfortunately, said nothing to her mother, for fear of causing trouble.
On July 5, 1902, Alessandro burst into the house, while Maria was alone with her sleeping baby sister Theresa and motioned her into a bedroom. As usual, she refused, but this time, he grabbed her, pulled her into the bedroom, and closed the door. He demanded that she submit to him, but Maria told him that it would be a sin. Enraged, Alessandro stabbed her 14 times in her heart, lungs, and intestines, and then fled. Maria died the next day from the wounds she sustained in defense of her purity.
Obedience to the Word of God
In our present age, there are, more than ever, various forms of lifestyles, which offend the virtue of sexual purity. There are equally many powerful voices defending these lifestyles in a world riddled with disrespect for God. More often than not, these voices seem to drown the soft entreaties of the gospel message. The trend does not help the young people to get proper orientation and value purity as an incredible virtue. Nonetheless, the psalmist points to obedience to the word of God as the only way the young (and indeed everyone) can preserve their innocence and defend their purity (cf. Ps. 119:1). Maria Goretti has set an example for us.
