And one of them, a doctor of the law, questioned him, to test him: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him: "You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with allyour mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. But the second is similar to it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the entire law depends, and also the prophets." (Mt 22:35-40)
Today we celebrate the holiness of Maria Goretti, an Italian girl who, at twelve years of age, chose to die rather than to compromise her purity. Perhaps in our present context this doesn't make sense to a lot of people. She could have just allowed "it", so she could save her life. Some people might even resort to ridiculing her choice, saying that she was such a prude.
For me it goes beyond protecting something that was a part of her. Maria defended, upholded a choice, the choice of her life. Her martyrdom was an expression that her choice for God was non-negotiable. It was the most significant choice of her life and she was not willing to compromise, even if it meant losing her life. Indeed, hers was the beatitude of the single-hearted. That is what purity means. Jesus said that the pure of heart will see God.
But what makes Maria Goretti's life more incredible was that she died forgiving the person who did her harm.
Yes, she really put Jesus' words into practice.
To love God is not something that is only between God and me. Loving God is verified by our love of neighbor. The more difficult it is to do that, the more we need the help of God. And when we are able to do so, we are truly daughters and sons of God.
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