00:01Today, November 16th, the church celebrates Saint Margaret of Scotland.
00:06A pious and benevolent queen, protector of the poor and model for Christian sovereigns.
00:12Today we also celebrate Saint Gertrude the Great, a 13th-century Benedictine mystic.
00:19But it is Margaret, the Queen of Scots, who remains the best known and most revered in the Christian world.
00:24Margaret of Scotland is a name that evokes nobility, wisdom, and faith at the very heart of power.
00:37Queen in the 11th century, she knew how to unite in her person royal grandeur and Christian humility.
00:45Her name remains associated with the spiritual rebirth of Scotland, the courage of women of faith, and the beauty of a soul wholly given to God.
00:55Born around 1046, probably in Hungary, Margaret came from an illustrious lineage.
01:02His father, Edward the Exiled, was a prince of England, a descendant of Alfred the Great.
01:08When the dynasty was overthrown by invasions, his family found refuge at the court of the King of Hungary.
01:15where young Marguerite received a Christian education of rare depth.
01:19In 1066, after the conquest of England by William the Conqueror,
01:26Marguerite fled north with her mother and brother.
01:31A storm brought him to the shore of Scotland, near Fif.
01:35There, King Malcolm III received her with respect and fell deeply in love with her.
01:41Their marriage, celebrated around 1070, was the union of a courageous king and a woman of prayer.
01:50Margaret became Queen of Scotland, but above all, mother of the Scottish people.
01:57Under his influence, the court took on the appearance of a monastery.
02:00The queen prayed every morning before sunrise,
02:04attended several masses a day and devoted himself to caring for the poor.
02:08She opened hospitals and distributed meals to the needy,
02:14She herself washed the feet of beggars during Lent.
02:18But his work went far beyond charity.
02:21She reformed the liturgy,
02:23introduced Roman discipline into the Church of Scotland,
02:27encouraged culture, education, and faith throughout the kingdom.
02:32Malcolm, her husband, a tough warrior, was transformed under her influence.
02:37He learned to pray, to fast, and to govern justly.
02:43It is said that when she read the Gospel,
02:45He kissed the holy book with devotion.
02:49From their union were born eight children, three of whom became kings.
02:52and a daughter, Mathilde, from Varennes d'Angleterre.
02:56Marguerite lived in the light of faith, but also in pain.
03:01Her husband and one of her sons were killed in the war in 1093.
03:04A few days later, overwhelmed with grief and exhausted by deprivation,
03:11She died in Edinburgh, at the age of about 47.
03:15His last words were a prayer.
03:18“Lord Jesus Christ, who by your cross has redeemed the world,
03:22Have pity on me.
03:25Her body was buried in Dunfermline Abbey, which she had founded.
03:31The people quickly venerated her as a saint.
03:35Pope I-904 canonized her in 1250.
03:40Today, she is the patron saint of Scotland.
03:42but also large families, queens and widows.
03:45Saint Margaret, a model of justice and kindness,
03:56you who served your people like a mother,
03:59Grant us a heart attentive to the poor and suffering.
04:03Teach us to govern our lives with wisdom,
04:06to unite prayer with action
04:08and to seek God's will in all our decisions.
04:13Beloved Queen of Christ,
04:15you who have sanctified your throne through charity,
04:19protect our families, our leaders, and our country.
04:24Make us witnesses to the light of the Gospel
04:26as you were in the midst of your people.
04:30Saint Margaret of Scotland, pray for us.
04:34Amen.
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