"Maria Goretti's life was indeed a struggle, but its end was both magnificent and dramatic. She was so weak—how could a twelve-year-old child defend herself against brutal violence? How could she not yield to the villain who attacked and overwhelmed her? On one side stood spiritual strength, and on the other, physical strength. Spiritual courage and physical strength began to fight each other. When you look at this scene, you might say that strength won. However, when we look more closely, we must conclude that spiritual courage triumphed. Thus, the weakness of this girl overcame the strength of the criminal. Violence was stopped and defeated by a defenseless, weak, simple, modest child who had nothing else to oppose it but her clear conscience and desire to preserve Christian ideals. Maria Goretti won."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Pope Paul VI, Excerpts from papal speeches. Excerpts from the homily of Pope Paul VI – Nettuno, September 14, 1969
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maria_Goretti
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"(In the hospital, before dying, while forgiving his murderer) I want him with me in Heaven."
"Maria was also greatly admired for her humble origins, which she redeemed with the strength with which she defended h…"
"A small and gentle martyr of purity."
"Maria Goretti followed in the footsteps of the young martyrs of early Christianity who gave their lives to defend the…"
"However great this addition to the number of facts serving to elucidate the natural history of these most interesting…"
"The apparent function of the Diatomacae in the economy nature, viz. to vivify, as it were, the immensity of the ocean…"
"Castracane was a devout priest as well as an enthusiastic investigator."
"Corruption has always been a constant companion of humankind. After all, Catholic culture itself teaches us: without …"
"The truth is that when Christian Democrats die, everyone applauds them and some even wanted to canonise them, yet whe…"
"The European cultures that govern the member states are the environmentalist, liberal, socialist and Christian democr…"