Little Laura was born in Argentina. That was where she grew up, where she met the Salesians, where she befriended Christ, where she gave her life for him. She died when she was not even thirteen years old.
As a young girl, her mother sent her and her little sister to the Salesian Sisters’ school. Her mother then, to make money, began working for a man. He was not exactly a model Christian. He began to abuse her, and, when the girls were home, her daughters as well. This was the life that little Laura grew up in. She would go to the Sisters’ school where she would learn Jesus from the Sisters. She would pray, grow in virtue, learn to love others, then she would go home, where little, if any at all, of those life lessons were practiced. Laura did, however, adopt what she learned from the Sisters. She began to be known among her friends as a friend of God. She was known as a saint.
She loved Jesus, she loved Mary, she loved her fellow students, she loved her teachers, she loved her sister, and she loved her mother. She recognized that her mother was in a very bad situation. She was living with her boss, who would abuse her regularly. So, she decided to do what she could. She told her mom to leave that man. Her mother would not. She persisted, so did her mother. What was Laura to do?
She did the right thing. She turned to God. She prayed daily for her mother. It became her mission to convert her mom and to get her out of this bad relationship. She really took the fourth Commandment seriously: Honor thy father and mother. She had such love for her mother that every time she prayed, it was for her.
Laura didn’t stop there, however. One day she made a promise to Christ: I offer you my life for that of my mother. She then and there gave her life to Christ in order that her mother would come to know and love the Lord, and leave that bad relationship which had led her astray.
Soon, Laura’s promise came true. She contracted an illness. She became sick. She got weaker and weaker and her mother soon had Laura brought home. She wanted to take care of her daughter. Being in the presence of her mother did not make Laura’s sickness get any better. But, it did give Laura a chance to be with her beloved mother. She continued to pray and offer her sickness for her mother. On her deathbed Laura told her mother about her promise.
“Mamma, I'm dying, but I'm happy to offer my life for you. I asked Our Lord for this,” she said. Her mother was moved to tears. “Laura, my daughter, please forgive me… dear God, please forgive me.” Laura’s last memory on this earth was her mother’s conversion. Now she is in heaven, presumably with her mother, praising God and glorifying Christ.
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