Monday, February 13, 2012

A Gift for St. Valentine's Day

My friend, Kathleen Muldoon, sent this lovely biography of Blessed Little Margaret for St. Valentine's Day.

Kathleen brings Margaret's short life (1287-1320) alive in these pages. When Margaret was born, her mother called her a monster. The child was disfigured, blind, lame, and a dwarf.

Her father denied her existence. She was to be kept hidden, and so imprisoned at the tender age of six. Margaret learned about our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ from the priest at the castle and I was astounded to read about her devotion to Christ. How could such a young child unite her suffering to Christ's on the Cross?

Several years later, Margaret was abandoned at the nearby village of Castello. Here she found a community of beggars who accepted her and cared for her. She, in turn, cheerfully cared for the sick, imprisoned and dying.

Kathleen writes, "The story of Blessed Margaret is great encouragement to people with disabilities and their families. We are all part of God's plan ... As Blessed Margaret proved to the world, every life matters."

In this day and age, where prenatal testing literally means a death sentence for 90% of babies with Down Syndrome or other genetic aberrations, this is a great reminder that all children are a gift from God. Throughout history, unwanted babies have been thrown away, abandoned, left to die, but we live in times where so many are unwanted and killed before they even have a chance to live ... as though death were some sort of a cure. Please pray for the end of abortion.

You can learn more about Kathleen here. She has written a great many books (you'll see how much she loves sharing the lives of the Saints), among them a very instructive book on writing for children: Sowing Seeds

Have a very happy and blessed St. Valentine's Day.
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11 comments:

Faith E. Hough said...

Blessed Margaret has always been a special patron of mine... When I was two years old I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which ended up being quite severe; I needed surgery when I was thirteen. Modern technology has enabled me to live a completely normal life, but reading Margaret's life was always a good reminder to thank God for placing me in the time and place he did. If I hadn't had the surgery, I would have been crippled or even died from the condition.

Mirka Breen said...

From the mouth of babes...
Lovely.

Evelyn said...

Margaret sounds like a wonderful inspiration! It reminds me to keep whatever little troubles I might have in perspective.

Vijaya said...

Faith, I remember reading about your surgery when you were a teenager -- so I can totally see how Blessed Margaret chose you.

Mirka, thank you.

Ev, the lives of the saints are a roadmap for us. What surprised me was how holy she was from childhood.

Bish Denham said...

I'm not familiar with Blessed Margaret, but her story sounds especially inspirational.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Hi Vijaya,

I've been a little under the weather and have missed getting around to visit blogs. I just noticed in your "About Me" that you're a ICL instructor. I never noticed that before. Is this new? Or am I just unobservant?

(I took their Writing of Teenagers course many years ago.)

Vijaya said...

Bish, here's a link for you: http://www.3op.org/stmargaret.php

Ruth, I hope you feel better soon. And I love teaching for ICL. I am also a proud graduate ...

Marcia said...

Oh, it's so true: Every Life Matters.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Hi Vijaya,

Stopping by again to let you know that I gave you an award on my blog today.

Sara Hill said...

Hello, I found you through Ruth at Out on a Limb. Thanks for publicly opposing abortion. I'm a student at ICL. Just signed my first writer's contract (magazine article).

Sara
http://thewritershadeofpale.blogspot.com/

Vijaya said...

Thank you for stopping by and lening your voice of support for all life. And my heartiest congratulations on your acceptance. May it be one of many.