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Eleonora

Dear Eleonora among the people I met, very few have shown me the face of Jesus as you did.

Your painful journey to Calvary was much like that of Jesus. You too, little lamb were called to atone for the sins of many, and you answered this call with generosity, with love, so that your resemblance to Jesus "the innocent who dies for the salvation of each one of us" even became physical.

Sometimes praying the sorrowful mysteries, it was easy for me to understand the mysteries of your pain, because, on one hand, I kept thinking about what happened to Jesus and being next to you made me see these mysteries materialized in you:

- Jesus’ journey to Calvary carrying his cross

You too embraced your cross, lung cancer, and you suffered your Passion: Sala Baganza - Gaslini hospital in Genoa, a route that you undertook repeatedly for two and a half years covering a distance of 90,000 kilometres.

- Jesus’ scourging by Roman soldiers

You bore your flogging too: your whole body was scourged by eighteen cycles of Chemotherapy.
Moreover, 15 days ago, after your urgent hospitalization in Parma and the doctors who were no longer able to take blood samples pricked you everywhere. When I saw you, you were full of holes and black bruises: you were so much like Jesus scourged by the Roman soldiers.

- Jesus crowned with thorns

A humiliating crown pressed down upon His head by the Romans: "Hail, King of the Jews, you need a crown ..." In this way the Roman soldiers mocked and laughed at Him. Eleonora you had your crown of humiliation too: Chemotherapy removed completely your beautiful black hair leaving your head completely bald… a crown difficult to bear: indeed you usually wore a hat.

- Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane feels a great anguish for His forthcoming Passion. You also had your moment of fear and anxiety - maybe the only one in these two and a half years - 15 days ago when thrombosis led to your emergency admission in Parma and the doctors were unable to treat you: in that moment the dark shadow of death came close to your consciousness.

- Jesus dies on the cross
 You also without complaining, without delay, in an instant, like Jesus, abandoned yourself serenely into the arms of the Father.

Interior similarity

Dear Eleonora, your cross was similar to that of Jesus even in the way you bore it :  your peace, your patience and your faith in God overcame the pain and restraints laid by the disease to your patterns of life.

Your heart learned from Jesus, who was meek and humble in heart, therefore the “cross” seemed light to you:

- "How are you?"

- "Well!" you used to answer, even when a cough nearly was choking you.

- "I'm fine, thanks for everything!"

Yes, you too had a gentle and humble heart and this is why you bore your illness calmly, easily, to the amazement of doctors and nurses who could not believe so much peace in the midst of this disease.

In fact you continued studying, you so much liked going to school, you wanted to grow, to learn, despite your disease your will to live never deteriorated in fact it strengthened, you were able to continue intensely your emotional life with your parents, your sister and you played with her when you could.

You were amazing, never down, never sad, and your peace spoke even to those who visited you, they would leave your little bedside with peace in their hearts.

"Whoever dies with Christ rises with him".

Since you were like Jesus and united with him in the sorrowful mysteries, surely now you will be similarly so in the glorious ones and you'll be attending the banquet prepared by God on the mountain… I wonder how well you were welcomed at the feast prepared for you in Heaven!

Growth

How did you reach such a human and spiritual maturity, how were you able to put on a similar spectacle of peace and faith?

You often thanked your parents. They taught you the most important things of life and they guided you well and with skill, developing your abilities and aspirations, and you with your good and simple heart learned easily and with your studies you grew so much.

During your illness you certainly were helped by the prayers of many people: Eleonora, have you any idea of how many people prayed for you in this time? There are so many! Many priests and prayer groups: from Avellino, to Rome, to Tuscany, to Sassuolo, to Lombardy, have prayed for you, then through Radio Maria you reached many, including the Bishop of Loreto, the Archbishop of Split, the Bishop of Nimes and other Bishops prayed for you, also the Pope kept your letter in the drawer of his desk with the intentions of praying every day. One day ninety-nine nuns fasted for you along with other laymen.  Many people have taken turns to offer up 40-days of fasting for you! And after, many of them never stopped offering fasts for you…so who can tell how many days of fasting have actually been offered?

Magnet

You were a magnet, your case attracted many people and there would be so many stories to tell to describe how people united, they participated with joy and commitment to this prayer and they multiplied in a spontaneous way, just by mention of your name. You were a real magnet that God used to attract many hearts to Him. Even those who were far from God, moved by your story, started to pray for you(1).

- You were a magnet, your case attracted many people and there would be so many stories to tell to describe how people united, they participated with joy and commitment to this prayer and they multiplied in a spontaneous way, just by mention of your name. You were a real magnet that God used to attract many hearts to Him. Even those who were far from God, moved by your story, started to pray for you[1].

-This magnetism attracted the doctors and nurses of Gaslini hospital who came to make a final farewell, they could not break away from you even after your death and they wanted to stop and hear about you. Many of them wanted to come and give you a last farewell before you finally left their hospital.

- Not even the saints were able to resist the magnet that God made you, they raced to offer their friendship to you, it was started by Father Lino of Parma, then, immediately, St. Anthony of Padua, then another day of prayer for you with St. Geminiano, then St. Pompilio, yet another day of prayer in Montichiari with Sister Maria Crocifissa of the Roses, another day of prayer with St. Teresa of Avila, with St. Gemma Galgani, with St. Catherine of Siena  ...it would be an endless list.

There’s also another saint who loves you: Saint Maria Goretti; maybe after Our Lady it was to her that we mostly prayed for you and as a sign of her link with you she shares with you today something most unique.

(3)This girl Maria Goretti, who the Church didn’t want to canonize because she was too young: - “how can a child of 11 years, respond fully and consciously to grace?” Well, after many studies, many testimonies and many miracles the Church had to recognise the sanctity of this girl and how true for her are the words which we hear today in the Gospel: “I bless you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that you have kept these things hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed them to little children”.  During the centenary ceremonies of the death of Maria Goretti, it was continuously underlined as a litany, these 11 years, eight months and 21 days: a time of grace in which God left her on Earth, a time which was sufficient for God to make her one of the most extraordinary saints of the Church (4); 11 years, eight months and 21 days enough time to make it known that even children can reach the highest peaks of spirituality.

Well, yesterday we had a start when we realised that God, dear Eleonora, left you on Earth 11 years, eight months and 19 days. An impressing similarity of which we have yet to understand the meaning; but which for now tells how alike she is to you and how much she, your spiritual sister, loves you..

Good Eleonora

Good Eleonora you've left behind you a trail of light and love, you made your name: "Eleonora" a name full of light and peace.

Confirmation

You have received confirmation before your passing from earth to heaven, only one hour before your departure(5). In confirmation you enter fully into the Christian community, you occupy your own place, you are entrusted with a mission. It is significant that you received it and then immediately went to take your place in heaven and to work, yes, because in heaven you work for the wellbeing of everyone. Eleonora you wanted to become a doctor, your mission begins here today in the Church where you were baptized and where you received first Communion. Today is your first day at work! You had a reserved character, but now you cannot stay hidden anymore, God who has placed in you a similar magnetic force wants to draw so many souls to Heaven, the Lord will heal so many souls thanks to your wounds, like all of us who have been cured by His.

Don't say that!

- "Don't say that! Why am I special? I'm a girl like all others." you said to your religion teacher who praised you because you were so good at catechism.

- "It's true,  you're simply a girl like many others who lived happily in her family, who worked hard at school as many do, you played with your sister, with your friends and with your little dog. It's true you've done with simplicity and joy the simple things that a child does, but in you, God wanted to make a lot of people understand how many good and beautiful things He put in every child and every family, and how many and what wonderful and unique things He can do in the souls of those whom, like you, simply listen to Him and accept Him.

Thanks

Eleonora thanks for everything you've given us ; smiles, love and peace.
Thank You Lord God for the eleven years, eight months and 19 days you left her amongst us, sufficient time for to her mature and sufficient for us to see what she'll do in the rest of the centuries: feast with You Lord and her saint friends at the table of life and attract so many souls to You with her desire to live, with her peace and smile. Thank you Lord God!

From Fr. Silvano's homily.

Sala Baganza 18 August 2004

Eleonora Restori

29/11/1992 - 16/08/2004

Notes