How Much Love Can One Heart Hold in the Face of Suffering? (Marriage Unhindered)

Ruth was a Harvard graduate, wife, and mother of six who lived the Gospel with astonishing simplicity. Before dying at 41, she responded fully to Vatican II’s call to holiness in ordinary life — sanctifying her home, her marriage, and her suffering. Her husband, Michael, shared on Marriage Unhindered that they often struggled financially, even qualifying for food stamps. Yet Ruth was tireless in her pro-life work, giving talks several nights a week — even while battling cancer. Two weeks before her death, she climbed Mount Washington with a metal rod in her leg, determined to “accomplish the most good” with the time she had left. Her sanctity wasn’t loud; it was disciplined. She insisted on scheduling every hour, telling her husband, “If you do not schedule, you cannot use your time well to accomplish the most good.” She lived every day as an offering to God. When their infant son died suddenly, Ruth gathered her family to pray the Rosary around his body. “The pain never goes away,” she told a grieving friend, “but it heals like a wound.” Now the Vatican is examining her life — not for her achievements, but for the quiet, steady holiness that turned suffering into love. The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.