We are Espoused
“I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD.” Hosea 2:21-22 Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr Today we remember and celebrate St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who was killed because she refused to sin. A young man had asked her for sexual favors and when she repeatedly said no, he became more forceful. He finally got fed up and stabbed her 14 times. On her deathbed, Maria forgave the young man. Maria Goretti knew that she was espoused to the Lord and that she belonged to Him, and so any acts of infidelity would be out of the question, even at the cost of her life. We belong to the Lord. We are His. We are espoused to Him. Because we have been so loved, we ought to love others with this same kind of a love – a disinterested, non-possessive kind of love, a love that wants only the good of the other. We can and are called to love...