St. Maria Goretti was born of a poor family in Corinaldi, Italy, in 1890. Near Nettuno she spent a difficult childhood assisting her mother in domestic duties. She was of a pious nature and often at prayer. In 1902 she was stabbed to death, preferring to die rather than be raped. (Office of Readings) 
"Not all of us are expected to die a martyr's death, but we are all called to the pursuit of Christian virtue. This demands strength of character though it may not match that of this innocent girl. Still, a constant, persistent and relentless effort is asked of us right up to the moment of our death. This may be conceived as a slow steady martyrdom which Christ urged upon us when he said: The kingdom of heaven is set upon and laid waste by violent forces.
It’s hard to think of anything worse than a “famine” of the word of God. What if you lived in a country where you were forbidden to worship the Lord, own a Bible, or even speak the name of Jesus? Scripture tells us that something like this did happen to the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom around 721 b.c. It seems that Amos’ prophecy was indeed fulfilled when the Assyrian army overran Israel and sent the people into exile. And, as history attests, such persecutions have happened in many other countries and at many other times, including our own.
As bad as such a famine is, there is something worse: not listening to God when he does speak. That was essentially the problem with the people Amos was preaching to. They were observant: They celebrated the Sabbath, kept the feasts, and heard God’s word regularly. But even if their ears were open, their hearts were closed. Focused on their wealth, they couldn’t hear God’s call to love the poor, needy, and unwanted.
The truth is, we can get a little hard of hearing too, in spite of the fact that we have more access to the gospel than any culture before us. We are saturated with Bibles, churches, and teachers, but that doesn’t mean we find it any easier to love our neighbor. Faced with the weakness of our flesh, we can sometimes just cave in and say, “Not today, Lord!” So how can we make sure that God’s word gets past our ears and into our hearts?
For many of us, the answer may be to cut down on the “junk food” that is spoiling our spiritual appetite. Maybe we could turn off our computers and televisions for a short time, or get up a little bit earlier, and give Scripture the chance to soak into our spirits. If we sit with one passage and take the time to let God speak to us, we may hear something new and inspiring. After all, God’s word is “living and effective” (Hebrews 4:12). Brothers and sisters, we simply can’t live by bread alone, so let’s all decide to feed on the life-giving word of Scripture!
“Lord, I praise you for your word! May I love it more and more, and may it always give me the wisdom to live as your child!”
Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131 Matthew 9:9-13