Today March 11

Although today is the feast of St. Sophronius (d. 638), we are going to go with St. Teresa Margaret Redi (aka Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, aka Anne Mary Redi) (1747 - 1770), virgin. She was a modest little girl of a large and fairly well-to-do family; and she was endowed with remarkable good sense. Well-educated in Florence a the convent of the Sisters of St. Apollonia, she chose not to join them even though she felt compelled to religious life. A supernatural vision of St. Teresa of Avila suggested to her to join the Discalced Carmelites. She followed the rules of the order completely -- and even went above and beyond the call of duty in prayer, penance and poverty.

She entered as a lay sister but was requested to become a choir-nun, which she did. She lived a fairly anonymous life, shut off from the world, and was a real joy to the few sisters who shared her short life. Wisely, she said, "Everything comes to an end; therefore take heart, for we pass from one thing to another until at last we arrive at eternity. Even seeing how things of this world end so quickly ought to console us, because the nearer and more quickly are we approaching that end towards which all our activities should tend."

This pure-hearted girl truly experienced that which St. Angela of Foligno described as "fire, love and sweetness" -- literally -- especially when she received Holy Communion. And probably fittingly, she exuded a sweet perfume -- as did all her clothes and even the flowers placed around her coffin -- long after her death, for she was -- and remains to this day -- incorrupt. It is even more remarkable because not only was she not embalmed, but she died with the horrible affliction known today as "dead colon." The gastro-intestinal disease came on her quite suddenly -- though there are indications she had a foreknowledge of it -- and she died peacefully despite 18 hours of great pain. This gangrenous condition ordinarily results in an acceleration of decomposition, rather than the exact opposite! You can still see the body of this dear woman in the Monastery of St. Teresa in Florence. St. Teresa Margaret Redi, pray for us.