Patroness of the abused.
Laura died due to complications of illness and physical abuse at the hands of her mother's lover, Manuel Mora. He beat her unconscious as she tried to run from him. Laura died a few days later at the age of thirteen. Numerous times before her death, Laura heroically resisted Mora's efforts to seduce her, fleeing the house whenever the situation worsened. She offered her life in sacrifice for her mother's conversion. After her death, Laura's mother found out about her offering and left Mora. Laura's feast day is January 22.
I ask Laura's intercession for myself. Just like her, I too had prayed to be spared from a life of sin, her prayer was answered and God accepted her sacrifice. It didn't work out as well for me.
Blessed Laura Vicuna pray for us. Pray for those most abandoned and alone. Pray especially for those children who are victims of sexual abuse, violence, and neglect. Pray for those survivors who continue to suffer and mourn.
Link:
Brief biography, Bl. Laura Vicuna
"...It didn't work out as well for me..."
ReplyDeleteGod does not short change His children.
Rethink this remark and apologize to our Sweet Lord.
God does not shortchange His children.
You just can't see God's purpose; it might end up being better for you than she.
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I have never heard of Blessed Laura Vicuna until 1987 when Blessed John Paul II was in Speyer, Germany. I was a soldier in Stuttgart, Germany and I traveled by train to Speyer and people were passing out holy cards with her picture and name on them. I believe she is a great intercessor. I'm sure she will continue to interceed for you if you continue to ask her.
ReplyDeleteTerry, this is a beautiful story, but it raises a question that has bothered me for a while regarding virgin martyrs.
ReplyDeleteThat is, how do we not draw tge lesson "God would rather you die than be raped"?
I mean, is there a father out there who would tell his daughter "if you are assaulted by a man who says 'let me have my way with you or I will kill you', I'd rather you let him kill you than let him have his way with you".
What I mean is that the tradition of virgin martyrs seems to indicate moral failure or lack of virtue on the part of those who "choose" to be raped rather than murdered (of course, several saints also saw moral failure on the part of those who got married and slept with their spouses too).
When St. Maria Goretti was canonized, didn't Pius XII exhort the crowds of young people to "rather die than give up one's purity" - I understand that it is better to die than commit mortal sin (some saints seem to say it's better to die than commit VENIAL sin) - but I always thought that a woman being coerced on pain of death or severe harm was not "giving up her purity"?
Add to this the trads who seriously think women are usually partly guilty for rape, or those who debate on whether Maria Goretti was violated or not and therefore unworthy of being called "virgin", and you can see my puzzlement.
Thanks for deleting the comments on that other post by the way.
Merc - your comments on the other post were fine. BTW.
ReplyDeleteAs for the answer to the question you post here, Dawn Eden discusses that notion in her new book which is coming out this Spring. In the meantime I will see if I can find an answer on her blog or in one of her comments.
"Blessed Laura Vicuna pray for us. Pray for those most abandoned and alone. Pray especially for those children who are victims of sexual abuse, violence, and neglect. Pray for those survivors who continue to suffer and mourn."
ReplyDeleteAmen to that; thanks Terry for telling us about Bl. Laura, I had not heard her story.
Mercury, I don't think the lesson is "God would rather one would die than be raped" but that God wants us to stand up for those who are victimized; and for them to know that they are not alone.
I will be interested to read Dawn Eden's take on these matters.
Terry, I would hug you if I could.
ReplyDeleteBTW what happened to my comment on the post after this one? It disappeared!