Blessed Maria Restituta was born May 1, 1894, in what is now the Czech Republic and died on this date in Vienna in 1943. She 
entered the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity community when she was twenty, taking the name Restituta after an early martyr, and served as a surgical nurse.
Maria Restituta’s outspoken nature would cost her her life: she was critical of the Nazi regime, including calling Hitler a madman, and was beheaded following her conviction on favoring the enemy and conspiracy to commit high treason.
Blessed Maria Restituta said: “I have lived for Christ; I want to die for Christ.”
God may not ask you to die for him as Maria Restituta did. But is there somewhere he’s asking you to speak up for him, perhaps with an authority figure or someone you find imposing? Pray with this brave woman for the courage to stand up for your belief.
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