Rita Coruzzi was born on June 2, 1986, earlier than the normal time of a fetus. As soon as she was born, Rita had her first health problems; I have dislocated my hip and am missing a socket. Therefore Rita cannot walk like other babies.
But Rita and her mother refused to give in to the illness. Rita did physical therapy, then had 3 surgeries, and 1 of 3 surgeries was done wrong; So far, no therapy has worked and Rita has had to spend her life in a wheelchair.
Rita was angry with God because He let her suffer these illnesses when she trusted in God. I had to undergo painful treatment when I was only 10 years old. I put myself in God's hands during the surgery.
I trust that God doesn't do bad things to me but I have to go back to a wheelchair, which I don't want. So for four years, Rita was angry with God; I condemn Him as unjust and cruel. Rita doesn't believe in God's goodness and mercy anymore.
One day, while Rita was traveling with her mother in the car, she wondered why God had abandoned me? Rita's mother replied, "I have not abandoned you. If these things happen to you, it is because God has His plan and you serve Him as you are now.” Rita was able to accept living in a wheelchair thanks to a pilgrimage to Lourdes, in front of the grotto of Our Lady, she found the answer.
In 2001, when Rita was 15 years old, her religious teacher invited her to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. At that time Rita was still angry with God.
For many years, Rita avoided church and parish, anything related to the faith, but when she was invited to Lourdes, she agreed because something in her heart urged her to go and also because she was tired of going to Lourdes. angry at God.
In fact, Rita doesn't even remember how she made peace with God. During the pilgrimage, Rita had hoped for a physical miracle to come to her; I hope after bathing in Lourdes spring I can get rid of my wheelchair. I also thought in my heart that if a miracle didn't happen, I would ask Our Lady why!
Rita recounts the encounter with Our Lady as follows: “Our Lady answered me as sweetly as a mother to a spoiled child. She helped me understand that she was always there and waiting for me. I heard a voice in my heart. I felt that it was she who hugged me, welcomed me to her and said to me, 'it took me a long time to decide to come, but now you are here. I wanted to know the answer, then she told me: God has His plan for me: witness and convert!' In my heart I also answered Mary: 'But you are crazy too! You are not Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Mark or John. You are not apostles.' Our Lady said to me: 'I do not understand. I must bear witness to God as much as I can, testifying how beautiful life is even in suffering if it is lived with Christ by my side. Because life is wonderful, even in suffering, if it is really lived to see Jesus.’
“The miracle that really happened to me was that I believed I had lost Jesus, that I really felt abandoned and I asked Mary: 'But where is the Jesus I lost? How do I get back to him?' Mother answered me: 'I believe I've lost him, but it's not like that. Let's look down and see. Let's look down and see. Look down and see!’ I looked down and I saw my wheelchair, because nothing else! And from this I understood that Jesus is my wheelchair. Jesus has always put me on His knees but I never noticed. So I condemned Him for abandoning me in lowly and evil ways. On the contrary, he took me in his arms and put me on his knees and never left me. This made me accept my situation: knowing I was at the feet of Jesus, which brought peace to my heart, satisfied me and did not claim physical healing.”
Rita wants to share with those who are also experiencing misfortunes and breaking the faith that in the darkest hours, God is always with us. He never leaves us, but because we don't feel him because we are covered in suffering. But if in the worst moments of our lives we entrust and trust in Him, we will always feel His presence. It only takes strength and courage to say, “I came from a life of nothingness and I want only one thing – union with God.”
Source: Vietnamese Catholic News