Saint Margaret Mary

Saint Margaret Mary: Feast Day October 16th

“Look upon yourself as a tree planted beside water, which bears its fruit in due season; the more it is shaken by the wind, the deeper it strikes its roots into the ground.” ~ Saint Margaret Mary ~

Faith is a gift—an undeserved and valuable grace granted by the Holy Spirit. Each of us has the capacity to seek The Way, The Truth, and The Life, for this longing has been inscribed within our hearts. Yet, in our free will, we have the choice and ability to ignore and turn from this divine call. Like the image of the tree Saint Margaret Mary describes above, if we seek Jesus and are rooted in our faith, nothing can shake us. Our water is the Church, and Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, is who makes our roots deep and strong enabling us to withstand the winds of the world and produce good fruit in His name.

Jesus offers us so many opportunities to find Him, and so many ways to live with Him in Heaven. In the 1600s, He appeared to Saint Mary Margaret, and gave her the message of His Sacred Heart. The importance of His human and divine love was made known to Saint Margaret Mary as well as the importance of receiving Holy Communion.

Today, as we celebrate Saint Margaret Mary, let us examine our own heart. Is our heart open to the love of Christ? Have we allowed our heart to become hardened or jaded by the world? How can we allow God to break our heart so that we can receive the graces He wishes to give us? For can a heart that does not first love God truly know how to love? Saint Margaret Mary, pray for us!

Celebrating with Food:

To celebrate today’s feast day, my family enjoyed French Palmier Cookies using this recipe from “Jessica Gavin.” Since these cookies have a beautiful heart-shape, they are perfect to celebrate Saint Margaret Mary, since Jesus revealed to her the Promises of His Sacred Heart.

The Baking Process:

Learn About the Promises of Jesus’ Sacred Heart:

While you enjoy your cookies as a family, you can discuss the Promises of the Sacred Heart listed on “EWTN”, or listen to the song, “Sacred Heart” that my talented and wonderful friend Dr. Holly Smith and I wrote together.

Jesus’ Heart and Our Hearts Activity:

Using Saint Margaret Mary’s quote below as inspiration, print this template containing Jesus’ Sacred Heart and your heart. Color and cut out Jesus’ Sacred Heart with Saint Margaret Mary’s quote, and then have your children draw a picture of themselves and write their names in the smaller heart. Then, glue the small heart inside Jesus’ Sacred Heart.

"Our heart is too small to contain two loves; being made only for divine love, it finds no rest in any other."

~ Saint Margaret Mary ~

Comments

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner:

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner: Four months after moving into our new house, my husband and I decided to invite our parish priest over for dinner and to bless our new home. We still had piles of unpacked boxes, our toddlers were bouncing off the walls with excitement, and my husband and I were a little nervous. Was our home clean enough? Would we be able to engage in good conversations with our guest? When the doorbell rang, our children raced to the door, and began bouncing around, welcoming Father inside. During dinner, we found that the conversations flowed easily. We shared stories about where we grew up, our families, and various other details as we got to know one another outside of church. We laughed as our daughter spilled the beans that my husband and I were expecting our third child, and when we shared our due date, our priest began enthusiastically sharing all sorts of common, as well as some crazy sounding, saint names for days on and near our due date. Afte...

Saint Hildegard von Bingen

Saint Hildegard von Bingen: Feast Day Sept. 17th Not only is Saint Hildegard a Doctor of the Church, but during her life she was a writer, scientist, and conveyor of the "spiritual importance of femininity" (Catholic News Agency). During her life, she was not only a confident leader, but she also served as a beautiful witness of humility, allowing others to observe that confidence, leadership, and humility can all exist and work together. This article , from the Catholic News Agency, contains not only biographical information on Saint Hildegard, but also a wonderful discussion of how modern women can relate and connect with this smart and accomplished female saint who supported the truths of the Church. Since Saint Hildegard is from Germany, and the majority of my family's ancestry derives from Germany, we decided to make "Nussecken" —dessert mini-nut bars—to celebrate today. The modifications that we changed to this recipe, were using raspberry jam instead of...

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Feast Day July 14th “I am not my own: I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha When I was a child, my siblings and our neighborhood friends would often dress up like Native Americans and play outside. We would explore the cedar tree- filled vacant lot, with its babbling creek, next door to our house, and would roam our two acre yard, building bed-sheet tents hanging from our front trees, and basking in the wonders of summertime. When I reflect back on these fond and treasured childhood memories, I think about how often I feel connected to God when I’m outside experiencing the beauty of His creation. When I gaze at the beauty that fills the sky with the rising and setting sun, feel a breeze upon my skin, or watch a thunderstorm roll in as I sit on my front porch, I feel a sense of delight, wonder, and peace. Nature has a special way of connecting the soul with its creator. Today, as we celebrate Saint Kateri Teka...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog