St. Rita the Suffering Servant - May 22, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Suffering is a gift to participate in the love of Christ (Col. 1:24). I recently read a clever analogy for this. Suffering is like boiling water. It has a different effect on people, depending on how they choose to react.
If you put carrots in boiling water, they get soft. That's like the person who has made comfort and pleasure the goal of life. When suffering comes his way, it drains him of all his zest for living.
If you put an egg in boiling water, it gets hard. You get a hard-boiled egg. That's what happens to the arrogant and self-centered. When life gets hard, they also get hard. They clench their fists and lose their smile. They become angry and cynical.
If you put coffee in boiling water, the water releases the coffee's hidden flavor. It fills the room with a delightful aroma and makes the water delicious. The soul that courageously trusts God amid suffering, clinging to Christ's cross and staying faithful, learns to love like Christ, to be humble, to persevere in what is right. That person's life lets off the aroma of mature joy and is filled with the robust flavor of purpose and wisdom.
St. Rita of Cascia (+1457), whose feast day is today is a great example of suffering. Her full name is Margarita (Rita for short) which means pearl. She grieved immensely throughout her life and this is why she is invoked as the patron saint impossible causes, abuse and couples with marital problems.
She wanted to become a religious sister, but her parents married her off at age 12 to a man known for his violent temper. She put up with his abusive nature for 18 years before he finally converted. But soon after that he was tragically murdered.
Her two sons wanted to avenge their father’s death. Fearing for their mortal souls, Rita prayed that God would take her sons before they could commit murder. Within a year, both boys died of natural causes—their hands and souls unstained by revenge.
She wanted to join the local Augustinian religious sisters, but she was initially rejected because she was a widow and some sisters had ties to the rival feuding families. Through fervent prayer and her efforts, she was finally accepted at age 36 and received the stigmata (wound of Christ) on her head at age 60.
St. Rita truly let the world smell the aroma of Christ through the powerful witness of her suffering in unison with her Beloved, Jesus.
In His Mercy,
Fr. Eric Clark, Pastor
