Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita (Feast Day: February 8) had stupendous courage and perseverance. Born in the Olgossa village in Sudan, Bakhita’s life was fraught with misuse from an early age. While still just a child, she was taken by slave traders. From this point in her life, she was treated in a most deplorable manner. Forced to walk hundreds of miles to a locale where she could be sold, the years to come held great pain and loss for Bakhita. Beaten on numerous occasions, she was resold more than a dozen times. Uprooted from her childhood home, never could she find a family that merciful or permanent. Being sold yet again, this time to the Italian Vice Consul, she was transported to Europe. There, she met the Canossian Sisters in Venice, and through this interaction, she found a calling not only to the Faith but to the unique vocation of religious life.

“If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today… The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone… we must be compassionate!” – St. Josephine Bakhita

Questions for Reflection:

With our fallen human nature, it is easy to let our anger build up. How do we face those we get upset with?

In the sufferings we experience in our daily lives, do we offer them up to God?