St. Margaret of Scotland

I chose to research St. Margaret of Scotland because I liked the fact that someone who was in such a privileged position as Queen used this to help others.  She was born around the year 1046 to royalty and was raised in the Hungarian court. When she was about 10 years old her family went to England but were forced into exile by The Norman Conquest. St. Margaret, her mother and her brother boarded a ship that was headed for Hungary. The ship crashed on the coast of Scotland where they remained. Then in 1070 when Margaret was about 25 she married Malcolm Canmore the third, the king of Scotland and began to change the country. St. Margaret changed Scotland in many ways. She softened the king’s temper and strengthened his faith, was an example of goodness for the court, was an exemplary mother, worked hard on behalf of the poor, built several churches, helped reform the Church and exhibited great piety. St. Margaret foretold the date of her death and died on the sixteenth of November 1093, four days after her husband and  one of her sons were killed in battle. She was Canonized in the year 1250 due to her influence over Scotland, her piety and her kindness. St. Margaret was named patron Saint of Scotland in 1673, her influence led to her being referred as “The Pearl of Scotland” I think that St. Margaret is very inspirational, she used her power to help those who needed it and provided an example of goodness to Scotland.

St. Margaret used her power to help those who needed it. She worked hard on behalf of the poor, surrounding herself with orphans, old people, poor men and desolate widows. She washed their feet and fed them with the same food that was brought to the royal table. She tried to ensure that all of her people were treated fairly  doing everything in her power to achieve that goal. This can especially be seen in her assistance with the reformation of the Church. St. Margaret visited hospitals, wherever she went the ill and the poor admired her humility and tenderness. As well as everything else she encouraged Christianity and helped found several churches including the Abbey of Dunfermline.

St. Margaret provided an example of goodness to Scotland. She led by example in court, was an exemplary mother and did her best for the people of Scotland. St. Margaret always tried to do her best for the people of Scotland, as stated before she encouraged Christianity, fed the hungry, visited the ill and tried to ensure that her people were treated fairly. She was an exemplary mother who always made time for her children. She also led a life of kindness and piety so happily that many others in court followed her example making Scotland a much better place.

In conclusion, I believe that St. Margaret is very inspirational, she used her power to help those who needed it and provided an example of goodness to Scotland.  I chose this Saint as she led a life that I find very inspiring and I hope to use the example she sets in my daily life.  St. Margaret was amazing, she didn’t have to do what she did, she could have simply ignored the fact that others needed her help and lived a life of selfishness instead of one of kindness and reverence. We can learn a lot from the life of St. Margaret. Her life shows us how to be a good person and to do everything we can to help others no matter what our position in life is. I think that these values and qualities are as important in modern society as they were hundreds of years ago.

Sources

"Patron Saints for Girls – The Life of Saint Margaret of Scotland." CatholicSaints.Info. N.p., 10 June 2013. Web. 31 May 2017.

"Your CNA account." Catholic News Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2017.

"St. Margaret of Scotland." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Saint Margaret of Scotland. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2017.

Online, Catholic. "St. Margaret of Scotland - Saints & Angels." Catholic Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2017.