Margaret
Mary Alacoque was born in Versovres, Autun, France on July 22, 1647 to a pious
and relatively wealthy family. She was the fifth of seven children of Claude
Alacoque and Philbert Lamyn, a Royal Notary who died when Margaret was 8. After
his death, her mother and the family suffered domestic persecution from their
relatives which drew her closer to prayer-closer to Christ. At this time, she
was sent to the school of the Urbanist Nuns at Charolles where she received the
only education she ever had. At the early age of 9 she was allowed to receive
her first Communion. Shortly after, she became so sick and bedridden for
several years. No remedy could be found for her illness so she was consecrated
to the Blessed Virgin Mary with a promise that if she recovered she would become
a nun. As a beautiful young woman she recovered from the illness and later
entered the Sisters of the Visitation at the age of 24.
Sixteen
months into her vocation, she received the now famous Great Apparitions of the
Sacred Heart.
"What
was so special about Margaret Mary?", you may ask. That she had the
"since childhood" desire for God? That such was her pure intention to
become a nun? Maybe, maybe not quite. As
children, we never really know what we want to be. As a young adult, she might
even have entered with the intent to escape the hardships of dealing with her
father's relatives. Whatever her reasons may be, it was, to her, like a leap of
faith. She did not have any special powers that drew her to be God's chosen one
for those apparitions. She was just as ordinary as you and me. She made
decisions like any other human being would: She had a chance to live a
"better" life and she took it.
The
difference is what she made out of it.
Her
experience with the Sacred Heart is like falling in love. When she encountered
Christ for the first time, the attraction left her speechless, consumed and
radiant. She literally couldn't eat, sleep nor participate in any activity with
her fellow nuns. She was aglow and overwhelmed. Like a passionate lover to her
Beloved, she was drawn to Him as He was to her. The more time she spent with
Him, the more she got to know Him. The more she got to know Him, the deeper she
fell in love. More importantly, their love grew as Christ shared the most
intimate secrets of His heart to her, a gesture that can only be done by one
who is in love. He chose her to bring forth this love story - His unconditional
love for all humankind - to every man, woman and child in the world.
But as God created duality in all things, such
love is accompanied by suffering. The mystical connection between love and pain
can only be known when one experiences it first-hand. St Margaret writes “No
one can love without suffering.", for in the course of "building her
relationship" with Christ and his Sacred Heart, she experienced physical
pain (she felt pain on her side every first Friday of the month whenever Christ
appeared) as well as emotional persecution from people around who doubt her
claims of the apparition. With this and her own personal struggles, her love was
constantly put to the test; yet she fought for the truth and defended it with
her very own "secret weapon": Silence.
The
profound implications of such a noble virtue illicit humility, obedience and
quiet strength to withstand persecution and injustice in the face of carrying
out His mission for her; To listen with her heart and with her soul; To persist
in spite of her self-doubt; To open herself up to the Sacred Heart as a
selfless instrument of His Love and Mercy for mankind even if she was a
"simple, ordinary woman who took a leap of faith to a better life."
A better
'eternal' life she got for her accomplished mission.
A better
gift she gave to all of us who believe.
The Sacred
Heart promised "I will comfort (my devotees) in all their
afflictions." Margaret Mary exemplified the keeping of this promise.
Because, as there is affliction and suffering in our humanity, the Sacred Heart
shares it with us and provides the universal cure for our pain: Love.
Today,
October 16th, we celebrate Margaret Mary's 322nd death anniversary. Let her
love and simplicity be our inspiration to make our hearts like His.
Let us all
be heartstrong like her, never giving up in our love for the Sacred Heart.
HAPPY FEAST OF ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE!
Rev. Fr.
Vic Y. Apacible
