Visitation Nun and Visionary: 1647-1690
Her life
+ Margaret Mary was born in Autun, France. She entered the Order of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial in 1671 and quickly developed habits of prayer and devotion that distinguished her in the eyes of her community.
+ In 1673, Margaret Mary experienced the first of a series of visions which focused on the mystery of God’s love and mercy as embodied in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
+ Along with her spiritual director, the Jesuit Saint Claude la Colombiere, she was responsible for helping spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the Church.
+ Saint Margaret Mary died on October 17, 1690. She was canonized in 1920.
Spiritual bonus
Another Jesuit who worked to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart during this period was the Blessed Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos. After entering the Society of Jesus in 1726, he became a staunch promoter of the devotion during his theological studies. A gifted mystic, he died shortly after his ordination in 1735, at the age of 23. He was beatified in 2010 and the Church celebrates his memory on November 29.
Quote
“This divine heart is an abyss of all blessings, and into it the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need.”—Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Prayer
Pour out on us, we pray, O Lord,
the spirit with which you so remarkably endowed
Saint Margaret Mary,
so that we may come to know
that love of Christ which surpasses all understanding
and be utterly filled with your fullness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
~
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...