Happy Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque!

(The Sacred Heart of Jesus appearing to St. Margaret Mary, St. Patrick's, Armagh, Northern Ireland)

I've been blessed to have visited Paray-le-Monial, the little town in France where Our Lord appeared to a cloistered Visitation nun and told her about devotion to His Sacred Heart. St. Paul in his epistles and St. John in his Gospel gave us a foretaste of it, but it was reserved for these "latter times" to know the true depth and breadth and height and length of the love of Christ for us poor sinners.

As I've said before, it inspires us to read one saint's writings about another saint. As the one saint is suffering through the struggles through this life, he or she is inspired by a saint who went before them. Today's words of encouragement come from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, writing about St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and what we can learn from her:

"Truly loving and faithful souls are not discouraged, and it was thus with our Blessed Margaret. She knew that the work she was destined to establish came from Heaven. Her courage and confidence did not waver. Entirely abandoning herself, like a strong and true Missionary, to the loving piety of her beloved Jesus, coupled with the industry of an enlightened and generous charity, she knew how to triumph over all obstacles, meriting thus to see before she died this Divine Heart known, loved and glorified by a large number of devout souls. As a recompense for so much generosity of action, Blessed Margaret Mary now contemplates in Heaven the beauty of the Divine Heart. She enjoys peace, happiness and sovereign delights, and can at every instant talk to Him unveiled, implore and obtain great graces, and she will certainly implore them for you if you honor her but especially if you imitate her." 

I visited her tomb and the chapel where Our Lord appeared to this great saint. May she talk to our loving Lord in our behalf today, as she celebrates her anniversary in Heaven. St. Margaret Mary, pray for us and for our families!