God, who drew blessed Josephine from abject servitude to
the dignity of being your daughter and a spouse of Christ, grant to us, we ask,
that by her example, we may follow the crucified Jesus with constant love, and
be lovingly ready to persevere in mercy. The young Miss Bakhita (1869-1947) was entrusted to the Canossian
Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice and it was there that she
came to know about God whom "she had experienced in her heart without knowing
who He was" ever since she was a child. "Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars,
I said to myself: Who could be the Master of these beautiful things? And I felt
a great desire to see him, to know Him and to pay Him homage..."
After several
months in the catechumenate, Bakhita received the sacraments of Christian
initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist) and was given the new
name, Josephine on January 9, 1890. With expressive eyes that sparkled,
revealing intense emotions, she radiated joy. Josephine was often observed
kissing the baptismal font and saying: "Here, I became a daughter of God!"
The Arabic word "Bakhita" means fortunate one. Indeed, Saint Josephine was fortunate. The Vatican biography written at the time of her canonization can be found here. When Pope John Paul II canonized Josephine she was the first Sudanese saint and she is the patron of evangelical reconciliation and freedom.
Would that we all kissed the baptismal font!!!
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