Today November 16

Today is the feast of another laywoman, Margaret of Scotland (1046 -1093). She and her mother, brother and sister were exiled from England, where they'd lived at the royal court of their kinsman St. Edward the Confessor up until the Normal Invasion of 1066. They sought refuge in Scotland and though Scotland was technically at war with England at the time, King Malcolm gave them asylum. He fell in love with the beautiful Margaret -- as well he might; she was a heck of a woman: young, strong, prayerful, well-educated and talented in many ways. They were wed in 1070 in the great castle of Dunfermline and lived a long and happy marriage, blessed with 8 children: 6 boys and 2 girls. And credit must be given to Malcolm. He was not too proud to be led by Margaret -- he improved his manners and directed all to do so as well, in her presence. He was not insecure in that his wife was smarter than he; if anything, his great respect for her made him love and treasure her more. I really picture them living out a real-life "Beauty and the Beast" tale: her teaching him to soften his temper, behave in church and use a napkin! She taught him to read, as she was very well-read and fond of reading the Gospels (a well-worn copy of hers is preserved in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.) He on his part supported her in every way; he was her "rock." Together with him she founded a church at Dunfermline, and she took care to stamp out evils in church practice, including usury, simony and incestuous marriages. She called synods of bishops and got them to conform their practices to those of Rome and the universal Church. We need a woman like that today!

Of course she taught her children their faith -- herself, not leaving it to tutors, as was the overwhelmingly more common custom. She herself was what one might call "preoccupied with God." Her very confessor, who wrote a biography of her, said, "I may say, in short, every word that she uttered, every act that she performed, showed that she was meditating on the things of heaven." - Turgot.

When her son came back from a battle where he'd fought alongside her husband and son and she asked how they were, her son said "Fine." She exclaimed, "I know how it is!" Basically: "Don't think you can fool me. Don't spare me from the truth!" Indeed, they had both been killed. She wailed aloud and said, "Perhaps this day a greater evil hath befallen Scotland than ever before!" She mourned the loss of her beloved and son, and died herself only 4 days later. Her last words were: "O Jesus Christ, who by thy death hast given life to the world, deliver me from evil!" St. Margaret, pray for us.