St. Rita, Woman for Our Times!

¹Last Saturday, I enjoyed a rare "girls' night out" at my friend Elena's house for a movie, wine, and a little cheesecake. We watched Saint Rita², based on the life of St. Rita of Cascia, known as "Saint of the Impossible". If you watch the movie, you'll find out why she got this generous title!

Since today is her feast day, I wanted to promote devotion to this amazing woman. Her story, in a nutshell, is as follows: a young and innocent woman, Rita, marries into a powerful family of assisins. Her husband is a killer himself, and she is faced with the conundrum of how to be faithful to her marriage vows but attempting to help him out of his gravely sinful behavior. Her response is to pray for and motivate her husband to repent and turn to God. I won't spoil the ending! Rita suffers greatly in her life but is, at the same time, rewarded greatly by God. Her story is so utterly inspiring that it will shed hope on any "hopeless" situation.

I enjoyed the movie very much. The acting and costumes were very nice, and the story was compelling and well-told. Parts of the movie were dramatized and so should not be taken as a documentary of her life. The movie was on the long side (3 hours 20 minutes) and could have been shorter while still telling a very powerful story. My slight reservations include lack of sacramental presence (mass and confession were all but absent in a story that would have benefitted from these elements), some cleavage (although not in the principal characters), and a steamy wedding night scene (which didn't cross the line in decency but could be questionable for someone struggling with chastity).

Overall, however, I recommend the movie. It is great for a girls' night in, or a date night with one's husband (or wife). It is a beautiful look at the sacrament of marriage and fidelty to God. The ending of the story is quitely gratifying and shows that no matter what the sufferings God asks us to endure, we will be given rewards beyond our imagining in the end.

So, entrust your most "impossible" cause to St. Rita today! After learning about her life, I'd petition her for my toughest intentions. St. Rita, pray for us!