Tuesday, 10/16/12
Yesterday we celebrated to feast of the very human, very
intellectual, St. Teresa of Avila. Today we celebrate the feast of a nun who
was in many ways the opposite of St. Teresa.
While Teresa was put in a convent to curb her worldly ways,
Margaret, a century later, was saintly from early childhood. Until she fell ill
at the age of nine, Margaret worked at pleasing God by denying herself
pleasures and by afflicting her body in punishment for the sins of men.
On a much, much lower level a priest friend and I mirror the
differences between Margaret Mary and Teresa. Margaret Mary was a mystic,
enjoying visions of her Savior so often that as a child she assumed that
everybody was having such private meetings with Jesus. My priest friend likes
talking about mystical experiences, while I prefer my religion coming to me
through Scripture and Tradition.
My priest friend is very strong on devotion to the Sacred
heart, while I shy away from displays of red anatomy. I am no authority, so
what I feel in this matter really doesn’t matter at all, but I will go along
with St. Margaret Mary and her mystic followers in one thing. I believe that
Jesus showed her his heart, saying, “Behold this heart which has loved men so
much, and has been loved so little in return.” It does make me feel the need to
return that love.
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