St. Rita of Cascia's desert spirituality

One of my Latin friends was posting about this saint recently. St. Rita's life is a story well worth reading if one has not read it yet but there are also elements of desert spirituality that forge a significant part of St. Rita's spirituality. Born to wealthy, but aging parents, she always had the desire to pursue a monastic life but her parents, fearing their own death and worried they would repose without leaving her a caretaker, married her off to a man when she was but the age of 12.

Obedience is emphasized strongly in the Evergetinos (Bk I, Hypothesis XXXIII-XXXIX). In the Life of St. Barsanouphios, an elder states that "he who wishes to be a monk is not entitled to have his will in anything" (Hypothesis XXXV). Hypothesis XXXIII of the Evergetinos show us different examples of monks entering into the monastery being forced to show their devotion to the monastic life by willing even to sacrifice their own children. In Rita's case, it is not a monk she is becoming but a nun. Her first act of this obedience is to her parents. Though she certainly has no obligation to follow their instruction as the religious life is a higher calling than marriage, she submits to their desires any way. She is wed to a man named Paolo Mancini who is abusive to Rita. But she nevertheless, being the faithful wife, submits to his commands. Likewise, the desert fathers tell us that when we are submissive to even the worst of teachers, those teachers may also be saved through us (Hypothesis XXXVII-XXXVIII). This is a different type of devotion for Rita as it is not a monk-elder relationship but a husband-wife relationship yet even St. Peter confirms that her obedience to her abusive husband can lead to his salvation (1 Pet. 3:1).

Paolo Mancini began to show signs of repentance in their marriage.

"His unbridled savagery was finally overcome by her constant gentleness, and there came a day when, after one of his usual outbursts he was so overcome by shame and remorse that he knelt at her feet and begged her pardon, promising a better life. That promise, aided always by his perfect wife, he faithfully kept as long as he lived." (Jacobus Doran)

Having accumulated multiple political enemies throughout his life though, Rita's husband was savagely murdered leaving her a widow with two sons. St. Rita trusted her husband's soul to divine providence though confident that he had met his end because he was ready to be received into Heavenly glory and forgave his murderers. But her sons seemed to begin hatching plots to avenge their father. St. Rita then entrusted them to divine providence that they be protected from this sin. A cry of a mother of one of the victims of the Holy Fathers slain by barbarians at Sinai Rhaithou seems to have an echo in Rita's plea for her sons.

"To thee, Master, I entrusted my son, and I rejoice that now and in the future age he has been saved. To thee I surrender my son, and Thou art He Whom I considered his protector; I thus rejoice, indeed, that he has been preserved safe from the hands of the Devil." (Account of the Murder of the Holy Fathers at Sinai and Rhaithou, Evergetinos, Hypothesis XII)

She besought that their hearts either be changed or that they be taken without this action having been completed. They both died within a year, and though filled with a natural sorrow of a mother for her children, was also filled with joy knowing that the state they were in was one of grace. Though many sin gravely, as long as one is alive, there is still time to repent. St. Rita spends much of her prayers for her husband and sons concerned about their final state, not their current state. The emphasis of the final state is shown in the the Gerontikon cited in Hypothesis II as a elder is asked the question of a monk and a layman's intentions left unfulfilled, the Elder responds, "The monk died as a monk and the layman a layman; for whatever their state at the moment of death, so they departed this world."

All monastics are expected to go through robust testing prior to their entrance to the monastery (Hypothesis XXVI). St. Rita persistently attempted to enter into the convent of the Augustinian nuns but each time she was refused. The Augustinian nuns would not permit widows entrance. But St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine, and St. Nicholas of Tolentino appeared to Rita leading her to the convent of Cascia with its bolted doors. With a simple touch, the doors opened and the nuns were astonished to find Rita within their midst. They accepted her into the convent.

"In her religious life, Rita excelled in the perfect observance of her Rule and the holy vows, in charity for God and her sisters, in profound humility and sacrificial labour. Love of our suffering Saviour urged Rita to perform heroic penances. She possessed the spirit of prayer and contemplation in a high degree. In her cell she devised a little mountain with a cross to remind her of our Saviour's torments in his Passion. With tearful compassion she followed our Lord, in spirit, to Calvary and to death." (St. Rita of Cascia)

Although there is more to say about this pious woman, I will end on this note as the primary point is to show the echoes of the spirituality of the desert fathers within the life of St. Rita of Cascia. Her greatest virtue was obedience, even in things she did not desire. She was given over wholly to the Will of God. This is what led to her husband's repentance and then to her sons' salvation from vengeance. This is what greatly improved her life in the convent of Augustinian nuns. He wishes to be a monk is not entitled to have his will in anything so she who wishes to be a nun is not entitled to have her will in anything. St. Rita wholly surrendered her will to the Divine Will of God.