Testament de alessandro serenelli biography

After vehemently denying his guilt, he finally broke down in the face of overwhelming testimony. Since he was a minor, he was sentenced to only thirty years hard labor. A priest came to see him soon afterward, and he turned on the cleric in rage, howling like a maniac and lunging at him. In the days which followed, Alessandro lost his appetite and grew nervous.

After six years of prison, he was near the brink of despair. Then one night, Maria appeared to him in his cell. She smiled at Alessandro and was surrounded by lilies, the flower symbolic of purity. From that moment, peace invaded Alessandro's heart, and he began to live a constructive life. After serving his sentence, Alessandro took up residence at a Capuchin monastery, working in the garden as a tertiary.

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How Mary can be a star of hope for us in our lives. Her mother and siblings were out working in the fields, while her father had passed away a year earlier. Alessandro, spotting an opportunity, approached Maria with dishonorable intentions. Maria resisted, clinging to her faith and commitment to purity. In this ordinary home setting, an extraordinary struggle ensued.

Maria, though physically weaker, held a profound spiritual strength. She vehemently opposed Alessandro, crying out that what he wanted to do was a mortal sin and that he would go to hell. Alessandro, driven by rage and frustration at Maria's firm refusal, pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly. Eleven times the knife came down, each time Maria reiterated her refusal, until she fell, critically wounded.

Despite the brutal attack, Maria's faith remained unshaken.

Testament de alessandro serenelli biography

When found and taken to the hospital, she clung to life for another 24 hours. In those agonizing hours, Maria demonstrated a sanctity far beyond her years. When asked by the attending priest if she forgave her attacker, she responded with a grace that touched everyone present. Alessandro was neither repentant nor remorseful. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Six years into his term he had a dream in which he saw Maria in a garden picking flowers. She handed him 14 white lilies, one for each stab wound he had given her, representing her forgiveness. Each one burst into flames as he received it.