I just received this news a few moments ago and I immediately blogged this to share it with your. It struck me. A modern day teenager who lived in the 80′s and 90′s era will be beatified today. Yes my dear brothers and sister. Chiara “Luce” Badano, whose very brief 10-year cause for beatification has finally bear fruit. Her heroism? No she is not a Martyr. She’s not a Doctor of the Church. She did not perform nor experience supernatural miracles. What she did is she refused morphne while experiencing cancer in order to offer her sufferings to Christ’s own.

As a registred nurse, I know very well the pain that cancer patients are going through. I tell you its very painful. Even chemno therapeutic meds are also painful to the system once it is administered. Some form of cancer are so painful that patient needs higher dose of regulated meds like morphine just to ease their pain. Even that seems to be ineffective when pain suddenly strikes. But here is a young girl who was suffering Osteosarcoma (a form of Bone Cancer), one of the most painful cancer known to man, chose to defer her morphine for the Love of Jesus. You can very well imagin how strong is her love for the Lord that she was able to endure all of those pain for Him. Truly amazing. Heroism knows no bound. Here is the news I picked up today:

Chiara Badano was a modern teenager: She liked to sing, dance, play tennis and skate, until cancer took her life at age 18, only two decades ago. Now, on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the shrine of Divine Love in Rome, Chiara will be beatified in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, in representation of Benedict XVI. Chiara was a member of the Focolare Movement, founded in Italy by Chiara Lubich in 1943. Also on Saturday, thousands of Focolare members will gather in Paul VI Hall to celebrate the first beatification of someone from the movement. At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope’s secretary of state, will offer a Mass in thanksgiving in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The miraculous healing of a boy who was dying from meningitis helped pave the way for her beatification.

Thousands of pilgrims are expected to join in the celebration, many being members of the Focolare movement who are now arriving from as far away as Hong Kong.

The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Ennio Antonelli will concelebrate along with bishops from several countries and over 100 priests. Her parents and her bishop, who first provided the impetus for her cause for canonization, will also be present for the ceremony.

Later on that evening, a celebration will be held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, where the Pope often hosts his Wednesday general audiences, during which three elements of Chiara’s time on earth will be highlighted: Life, Love and Light.

EWTN will provide broadcasting from this location.

On the next morning, Sept. 26, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone will preside over Mass at St. Paul’s Outside-the-walls in thanksgiving for the beatification. At the conclusion of the Mass, the participants will await a live telecast from Castel Gandolfo of the Angelus, during which they expect the Pope to recognize the newly declared blessed.

Here is the official document of her Beatification cause signed by Bishop Livio Maritano

The Church of Acqui could not ignore the great admiration and gratitude to God expressed by all of those who knew Chiara. It is the reason tha t Mons. Maritano, on behalf of the Church of Aqui, asked to initiate the beatification Cause for Chiara Badano, who from now on will be referred to as “Servant of God”.

On June 11, 1999, feast of the Sacred Heart, Mons. Maritano officially opens the diocesan inquiry for Servant of God Chiara Badano’s beatification Cause, according to the Holy See’s laws for the Congregation of Saints. 72 witnesses are heard. The hearing closed on August 21, 2000. Two days later, the vice-postulator Mariagrazia Magrini delivered the 12 volumes to the Vatican office.

The image that emerges from the many depositions is that of a “normal” girl, who with tenacity and constance, since she was a young girl, was docile to the breath of the Holy Spirit, becoming “an extraordinary example” for youth.

In love with Jesus and having chosen Him as her Spouse, she “runs to meet him” traveling the road of the cross with total offering and faithful abandonment.

The validity of the inquiry was recognized on October 7, 2000, exactly on the tenth anniversary of the Servant of God’s death, and on that same day the seals were opened and the Roman phase began, with the writing of the Positio that the vice-postulator carried out, with Fr. Cristoforo Bove’s guidance.

Analitical and careful work takes place around the life and fame for sanctity of this youth. The result is 1400 pages, collected in two volumes, delivered to the Congregation. They were subjected to examination, that would come to recognize the heroicism of the Servant of God’s virtues.

Some of the copies were offered to the founder of the Focolare Movement, who welcomed them with joyful emotion.

In the meantime, the Postulation continued to collect everything attesting to the fame for sanctity, inviting all of “Chiara’s friends” to work together and spread the word regarding the Servant of God’s testimony.

An important step was taken on July 3, 2008, when the Holy Father authorized Card. José Saraiva Martins – Prefect of the Congregation of Saints’ Causes – to promulgate the venerability of the Servant of God with a decree.

On January 15, 2009 the “Board of doctors”, gathered in “Consultation” were able to compare their respective evaluations of the recovery being examined, and they have come to the unanimous conclusion that states the inexplicability of the recovery with the sole force of nature, according to medical knowledge.

On May 20th, a meeting was held among theologian members of the Congregation, each of whom expressed a favorable opinion on the presumed miracle obtained by God through the intercession of the Venerable Chiara Badano.

On December 15th, the above stated medical report and the vote of the theologian members was submitted to an “Ordinary Congregation” of Cardinals and Bishops, who unanimously accepted the judgement of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes and of the Theologian members. Those conclusions were then submitted to the Pope.

On Saturday, December 19th 2009, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree which approved the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Chiara Badano. It is and act which will soon be followed by the rite of Beatification.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HER LIFE