MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, AND SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT, VIRGIN – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 16TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Margaret of Scotland and Saint Gertrude the Great, Virgin. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all nuns and religious. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, stroke, heart diseases and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases.
SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND: St. Margaret (1045-1093) was born into royalty in Hungary around 1045. Her father was Edward Atheling, heir to the English throne, an exiled Scottish nobleman (King Edward the Exile) and her mother was Princess Agatha of Hungary. She was a grand-niece of Edward the Confessor. Her family returned to England when she was 10 years old, but the Norman Conquest forced them into exile. By this time, her father had died, and her mother fled with the children. They boarded a ship which crashed onto the coast of Scotland, where they remained. In 1070, at the age of 25, Margaret married the king of Scotland, Malcolm Canmore and she became the Queen of Malcolm III. As queen, Margaret’s faith had a strong influence on her husband’s reign. She softened his temper and led him to practice virtue. She dignified the court, providing an example of purity and reverence that led others to follow in her path. She and the king prayed together and fed the hungry, offering a powerful witness of faith to the people they served. She was devoted to the spiritual perfection of her eight children, practiced austere self-denial, and possessed unflagging love for the poor.
St. Margaret’s most remarkable virtue was love of neighbor, particularly love toward the poor. Her alms supported countless unfortunates; daily she provided food for three hundred and shared in the work of serving them personally, washing their feet and kissing their wounds. In addition to being a model wife and mother, St. Margaret worked tirelessly to bring justice and relief to the poor of Scotland. She also built churches and encouraged practices of religious devotion. In her private life, she exhibited great prayerfulness and piety. Her influence was seen not only in her husband’s life, but throughout all of Scotland. As Queen, Margaret used her influence in the interests of the Faith; she convoked a synod that drew up regulation for the Lenten fast, Easter Communion, and marriage laws. She founded several churches, and was constantly engaged in prayer and devout practices. St. Margaret died in 1093, just four days after her husband and one of her sons were killed in battle. After her death she was continually venerated by the Scottish people. She was canonized in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV and proclaimed Patroness of Scotland in 1673 by Pope Clement X. St. Margaret is the Patron Saint of widows; death of children; large families; learning; queens; Scotland
PRAYER: God, You endowed St. Margaret with a wonderful love for the poor. Through her intercession and example, make us so generous that all people may see in us the image of Your goodness. Amen 🙏
SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT, VIRGIN: St. Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), also known as Gertrude of Helfta, a Cistercian nun, is one of the most lovable German saints from medieval times, and through her writings she will remain for all ages a guide to the interior life. St. Gertrude the Great was born in 1256 at Eisleben on the feast of Epiphany in Thuringia (modern Germany) and at the age of five taken to the convent at Rossdorf, the Benedictine Monasteries where Gertrude of Hackeborn was abbess. Similarity in name has often occasioned confusion between the two Gertrudes. Our St. Gertrude never functioned as superior. She proved to be an extremely bright and determined student who became engrossed in her secular studies, but was negligent of her prayer life. She remained in the monastery and made her profession as a nun later in the same abbey. There she delighted in the study of the Latin language and literature as well as music and painting. In spite of much ill-health, St. Gertrude used her exceptional natural talents well, knew Latin fluently. St. Gertrude had enjoyed a good education.
In 1281, at the age of 25 St. Gertrude entered a time of spiritual crisis, after which she began to receive visions of Christ who disclose to her the secrets of mystical union and chastised her for not leaving room for God in her academic pursuits. This caused Gertrude to abandon her secular studies in total devotion to Sacred Scripture and the works of the Church Fathers. She began a life filled with humility, patience in suffering, and care for others. She dedicated herself to the meditation of Scripture and liturgical texts and frequented the reading of the Fathers. Obeying a divine wish, she put into writing the favors of grace bestowed upon her. She wrote and composed in Latin, and was versed in sacred literature. Her most important work, Legatus Divinae Pietatis, “The Herald of Divine Love,” is distinguished for theological profundity, sublime poetry, and unusual clarity. How it stimulates love of God can be felt only by reading it; Abbot Blosius is said to have read it twelve times each year. These theological studies, along with continued visions and messages from Jesus, became the basis of her work as one of the great writers and mystics of the 13th century. St. Gertrude had a lasting impact on the Church in an age where academic and religious literature was dominated by men, and she is the only female saint to earn the title “The Great.” The saintly woman was characterized by great devotion to the Sacred Humanity of our Lord in His Passion and in the Blessed Eucharist, and by a tender love for the Blessed Virgin. She was one of the early saints who, along with her companion in the monastery, St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn, spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Teresa of Avila chose St. Gertrude the Great, the patron saint of nuns, as her model and guide. St. Gertrude the Great died in 1302, more consumed by the fire of God’s love than by fever. Her feast day is November 16th. Her feast was inserted in the Universal Calendar in 1677 by Pope Innocent XI. She’s the Patron Saint of Nuns; travellers; West Indies.
PRAYER: God, You prepared a pleasing abode for Yourself in the heart of St. Gertrude the Virgin. Through her intercession, mercifully lighten the darkness of our hearts so that we may rejoice in the knowledge that You are present and working within us. Amen 🙏