I LOVE BEING MARRIED!!!! I love you Kelly Marie!!!! Very much!!! Thank you for saying “yes”, or “sure”, or whatever it was!!! Thank you for continuing to do so!!! You know how I feel.
Elizabeth Canori-Mora was born in Rome on November 21, 1774, from a well-to-do family and was given a good Christian education. As a teenager, she loved fine clothes and socializing as well as spending time in prayer and making small sacrifices to help the poor. At 19, she attracted the attention of a young lawyer, Christopher Mora, and the two were married on January 10, 1798. She embraced marriage as her God-given vocation and vowed to live it as a sacrament of salvation for herself, her husband and whatever children God would give them.
Marriage, however, proved to be a cause of much suffering for Elizabeth when, a few years later, she discovered that Christopher had a mistress and was squandering the family resources on her. She offered herself to God for the conversion of her husband, who also became a compulsive gambler, a heavy drinker and a shady businessman. Elizabeth’s inner pain was as deep as her conviction that the divine law of wedded fidelity admitted no exceptions. As a good mother, she totally dedicated herself to the Christian upbringing of her two daughters, Marianna and Lucina, whom she urged to pray for their father and guided in the choice of their vocations in life. The irresponsible behavior of Christopher resulted in the financial ruin of the family. Christopher abandoned and refused to support them for a time. To remedy the situation, Elizabeth undertook to work as a seamstress.
Elizabeth, to pay creditors and to safeguard the good name of her husband, was compelled to sell her jewelry and, even, her wedding garments. She continued to care for her daughters and the daily chores of the home with utmost care. She also dedicated much time to prayer, to the service of the poor and assisting the sick. She dedicated special care to families in need. She was ridiculed by Christopher for her “pious” behavior, but continued to pray for him.
In the midst of her marital and financial difficulties Elizabeth found inner peace and strength in prayer and a deep trust in God. Attracted by the charitable spirit of the Trinitarian Order, she became a Tertiary member in 1807, and found time to help the poor, to visit the sick and to counsel married couples in crisis. She often reminded her husband to straighten up his life. Once she said to him: “It may seem unbelievable, but one day you will celebrate Mass for me!” “It is good for me to have spent two hours in prayer!” she wrote. “God gave me so much strength that I was ready to give my life rather than to offend my Lord.”
Friends and even her confessor advised Elizabeth to separate, but Elizabeth never lost heart. For the sake of Christ, Elizabeth considered the salvation of her husband and of her daughters and used this misfortune for spiritual profit. Elizabeth was convinced that “nobody can be saved all alone, and God has entrusted to everyone the responsibility of the salvation of others in order to carry out his project of love”. This is the story of a woman betrayed, however, Elizabeth understood what it meant to be a Christian. She knew that God entrusted Christopher to her through the Sacrament of Marriage and that she had the responsibility to carry this cross to salvation. She could not leave it, because God had entrusted it.
At age 50, she developed dropsy. The condition incapacitated her. Miraculously, it caused Christopher to return. During her final weeks, he rarely left her. On her last night on earth, however, he was with his mistress. Upon returning, he found her dead. Seeing her cold corpse, he wept furiously for the sins he had committed. Elizabeth died on February 5, 1825. Christopher rushed to her death bed to utter these words: “Today we have lost a great bride and mother.” Her fame of holiness attracted many priests, religious, noble men and women, and a large crowd of common people to her funeral. Being closely associated with the Trinitarian Third Order, she was buried in the crypt of the Trinitarian Church of San Carlino in Rome.
After a series of miraculous cures were ascribed to her intercession, the Holy See reviewed her life and declared that she had lived all Christian virtues to an heroic degree. Pope John Paul II proclaimed her Blessed on April 24, 1994.
After her death, daughter Lucina joined the Sisters of St. Philip, Marianna married, and Christopher began to be seen praying in churches. Often he spoke remorsefully about the sufferings he had inflicted on his saintly wife. He first became a Trinitarian Tertiary, then he entered the Conventual Franciscans, professed the religious vows of obedience, poverty and chastity, and after completing a course of theological studies, was ordained a priest at the age of 61, fulfilling Elizabeth’s prophecy.
He died eleven years later, at the age of 72.
Prayer to Obtain Graces through the Intercession of
Blessed Elizabeth Canori-Mora
Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, source of all holiness,
I thank you for the graces you have bestowed upon Blessed Elizabeth Canori-Mora,
and for having made her a model of faith, hope and charity
as a Christian wife and mother.
I humbly beseech you to grant the graces
I ask through her intercession…(name your request here)
Firmly abiding by your Holy Will,
I make this prayer through Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
Bl Elizabeth Canori Mora, we entrust to you all struggling marriages, and especially spouses who have been abandoned. May they know that their witness to marital fidelity is a treasure for the world and a sign of God’s never-failing love for His beloved children. Bring faithless spouses back to their families, and heal all of the wounds of sin and betrayal. Amen.
Bl Elizabeth, pray for us!
Love,
Matthew