Today's Ornament of Grace for Thursday of the Third Week of Advent is Venerable Carla Ronci.
Isaiah 54:1-10
Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear, break forth in jubilant song, you who were not in labor, for more numerous are the children of the deserted wife than the children of her who has a husband, says the Lord. Enlarge the space for your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly.
Today’s reading from Isaiah reminds us that barrenness can be a great sorrow for a woman, but we can learn from those women who opened their hearts in love to receive the Lord as their spouse and found joy, even if they could not bear children. One woman who enlarged the tent of her heart to make room for those who might otherwise be left outside was Venerable Carla Ronci.
Carla Ronci was born in Rimini, Italy, in 1936. Carla was a good child, full of life, happy, and charismatic. After finishing elementary school, she learned to be a seamstress.
When Carla was 14, she received the grace to give her life to God. She began to teach the faith to young people, encouraging them to reach out to those in need. Her teaching brought her into contact with the Ursuline Nuns. Carla often attended meetings at the Ursuline convent, especially during the Holy Year of 1950.
In 1956, Carla made private vows of poverty and chastity. She then decided to enter the Ursuline novitiate but realized, after a very short time, that this was not her vocation. Wanting always to do God’s will, she asked Jesus, “What is happening to me? Why do I feel so weird and unsatisfied with my new life? What do you want from me, my Lord? When will I know with certainty where you want me to serve you?” Leaving the convent, she returned to her former life.
Trusting the Lord would lead her, Carla threw herself back into sharing the Good News with the young, caring for the poor, and spreading joy wherever she went on her motorbike, her Vespa. The Lord certainly rode with her. In 1960 she met Teresa Ravegnini who introduced her to the secular institute “Ancelle Mater Misericordiae.”
After studying the rules of the Institute, Carla knew where she belonged. She could stay in her hometown working, teaching religion, and reaching out to all in need. At the same time, she could take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Witnessing to Jesus’ presence in everyday life would be her ministry. In 1961, she applied to become part of the Institute and was accepted.
Carla knew Jesus had answered her question about where and how He desired her service. In her journal, she wrote happily: “Lord, thank you for being so good to me.” Gratitude to the Lord defined her life. Her almost constant smile showed this. It fueled her service and gave her the eyes to see Christ in everyone and everything. It was for love of her spouse, Jesus, that she bore fruit. She said, “It is only for him that I am committing myself for my life to be a living witness, everywhere I may be, and in everything I may do.” People in her area called her the joyful saint, the smiling saint, or the Vespa saint.
In 1969, Carla was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her loving response was this: “Lord, you can no longer suffer in your own body, so take mine to continue your passion and redemption.” Less than a year later, on April 2, 1970, at the age of 33, she was lying on her deathbed, hands folded in prayer. Her last words were, “Here comes the spouse.”
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