The Life of Saint Margaret of Cortona

Chapter 7 - Purity of Conscience and Frequent Confession and Comm union

chaPTer 7 PuriTy of conscience and frequenT confession and coMMunion 1. After her conversion, Margaret, the little plant of the Friars Minor and the servant of Christ, used to confess at least once a day.When one of her sins would come to mind,she would, with tears and sighs, reveal this to any companions who were with her.On one occasion,Margaret made a general confession [cf. Chap. 2: 6] to me, in the most detailed manner and with the deepest sorrow, which lasted eight days; this happened just as God had foretold. She made this confession to prepare for the feast of St. John the Evangelist, when she prayed and fasted. When the congregation had left the church, Margaret fell down before the altar of the Blessed Virgin with a rope around her neck and her face soaked with tears. Pale and trembling, she devoutly received the Body of the Lord. Then she lost control of her senses and fainted in the arms of those who were near her. Having tasted the divine sweetness, Margaret, her face glowing with serenity and joy, exclaimed with an angelic smile: “The Lord has prepared this day for me to become inebriated with the pleasures of divine love.” She remained this way motionless and with eyes wide open, but not seeing anything. Then the Lord spoke to her heart and asked her how much her soul had expanded on this day. She responded: “Lord, my soul is now greater than the whole world, because I have you within me; heaven and earth together cannot contain you.”While she was tearfully imploring God’s beloved to continue his presence in her soul, she suddenly became The Life and Miracles of Saint Margaret of Cortona 178 afraid that he would withdraw this sweetness from her, and so she wept all the more. The Lord said: “My daughter, I want you to know that you will return to your cell while still in this condition of fear.” 2. Margaret prepared herself to receive reverently the sublime sacrament of the Body of Christ.But before beginning her prayers, she cleaned her cell, since she thought that it would be fitting that the roads which the priests traveled to her cell should be covered with gold. When she saw Christ’s presence approaching her cell, she felt as if she were melting, just like the candle in her hand; she used this candle to light up the Body of Christ. Margaret was torn between two desires. For on the one hand, she greatly delighted in the experience of his sweetness. On the other, she was terrified at the thought of her own uselessness, which had the effect of intensifying her yearning to receive frequent communion; but her humility made her even more apprehensive to receive it. She was astonished by this conflict in her soul. Fearfully and in tears, she began to analyze the origins of this new inner turmoil. Then the Lord said to her: “My daughter, do not be afraid or surprised. Any soul that wishes to partake of so exalted a sacrament has to be purified of its defects in order that it will shine as brilliantly as the sun.” 3. The servant of God, Margaret, while at prayer, wanted to express her gratitude to the Lord, and said that he had no business talking to a creature as contemptible as herself. But the Lord answered that she had not been clothed in such splendid virtue solely for her own good; her virtues could serve as an example of God’s benevolence, and would give hope to those who might despair of his mercy. He added that the time was coming when she would be enriched with still more gifts of grace. The devout faithful would be anxious to hear her speak; to divide her clothes; to come from near and faraway places to see her. We can see today with our own eyes that the Lord’s promises have been fulfilled – as one can read in this book! Many Purity of Conscience, Frequent Confession and Communion 179 would come from provinces nearby and distant to see, hear, and touch Margaret, and to be cured of their diseases. 4. Margaret was concerned with preserving her purity of conscience, and tried to hide her fervor from those around her. But the Savior rebuked her for doing this. He ordered his pure spouse to...