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

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Feast Day: Nov. 17th Saint Elizabeth of Hungary has always held a special place in my heart since she is my confirmation saint. If I'm being honest, when I was reading about saints back in the eighth grade, trying to choose which saint I wanted to take as my patron, my requirements were as follows: (1) She couldn't die a horrible death, (2) She was married with kids, (3) and her life was pretty good allowing her to serve God and others through the blessings she'd been given. In hindsight, my list of "requirements" was probably a little superficial, but now as an adult I focus more on the virtues and saintly qualities of Saint Elizabeth, and find inspiration in how she lived. She was humble, a kind and loving wife and mother, and very generous to the poor. She also made plenty of time to pray and grow in her relationship with the Lord. On her wedding day, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who was a princess, did not wear a crown. Instead she s...

Saint John Neumann

Saint John Neumann: Feast Day Jan. 5th Saint John Neumann, the first American Bishop to be canonized and Patron Saint of Catholic Education, has a special place in my heart. My late grandfather’s name was John Neumann, and when my brother was confirmed, he selected our grandfather to be his sponsor and chose Saint John Neumann as his patron. I like to reflect on the reality that as our grandfather, John Neumann, stood beside him as his sponsor, Saint John Neumann prayed in Heaven for my brother at his Confirmation. Aside from this neat family name connection with a Saint, as a former teacher I also find Saint John Neumann to be inspiring, since he helped increase the number of Catholic schools while he was Bishop of Philadelphia and brought numerous religious sisters into the schools to teach. Faith instruction of children and young people was definitely important to Saint John Neumann. If you are interested in reading more about Saint John Neumann, check out this article from Francis...

Study the Saints

Study the Saints: As I write this post, four days into the New Year, I’m called to reflect upon what New Year’s Resolution I can make that will be the most beneficial for my family and myself. A word that’s inspiring and that comes to mind is “Saints.” Celebrating the Saints on their feast days is wonderful and has been a blessing to my family. My children have learned about various holy men, women, and children from all places of the world and times in history, and they have been able to try foods from various cultures. I love how the Catholic Church is universal! Matthew Kelly wrote a book entitled Rediscover the Saints that I read last year, and I believe it has been part of a catalyst that has taken me to the next level of learning about the Saints. Celebrating saintly feast days is wonderful, but taking the time to read the actual writings of the Saints can be an even bigger game changer and blessing in your life and the lives of your family members. To date, I’ve only read the D...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog