St. Rita: Patron Saint of Impossible Causes

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes. You might remember a reference to her in the opening of the Disney movie, The Rookie. I fondly call her Thorn Head because she received a partial stigmata wound from one of the thorns of Christ's crown of thorns. She suffered greatly because of this partial stigmata.  "The injury caused by the hurt developed into a serious ulcer, one most painful and unsightly, so unsightly, in fact, that for many years Sister Rita had to make her devotions alone!" (EWTN) Some accounts suggest that the wound gave off a foul odor until the time of her death when it is reported that the smell of roses filled the room.

St. Rita belongs to a unique group of saints known as the incorruptibles. No, this is not a new Marvel super hero team. Instead, this means that the bodies of these saints was not subject to the natural corruption of decay. According to the National Shrine of St. Rita:

It became clear that something exceptional was occurring as her body seemed to be free from nature’s usual course. It is still preserved today, now in a glass-enclosed coffin, in the basilica of Cascia.

Ignatius Press distributes a DVD of an Italian made film on the life of St. Rita. The movie mostly focuses on her early life, but is well made and fairly true to her life story.

Jacob's Ladder: Answering the Big Questions

Have you ever asked yourself one of these types of questions:

• Why am I here?
• What is my purpose?
• What is truth? (Made famous by Pontius Pilate)
• Does God exist?
• Can you prove God exists?

Most of us at some point in our lives have asked one of these or similar questions. Philosophers call these the Big Questions. If you are looking for a good, accessible book to read to help you with these questions, look no further. Peter Kreeft, who is a philosopher and professor at Boston College, has written a new book entitled Jacob's Ladder: 10 Steps to Truth, published by Ignatius Press. This is NOT a theology book, but instead it is a book about finding God through reason. Contrary to what the secular culture says, faith and reason are not incompatible and Kreeft points that out. (See Blessed Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Faith and Reason for more on this subject.)

I have not personally read the entire book, but the reviews of the book by trusted Catholics like Patrick Madrid, Mark Shea and Father Spitzer have been wonderful. I have read some of Kreeft's other works and one of his greatest strengths is the ability to take "heady" material and apply an ordinary, every day approach to explaining things. We Joe Catholics can get on board with that.

Check out the book trailer. The book is available for pre-order at Ignatius Press or Amazon, or you can buy it at a local Catholic book store soon.