by Patricia Mathson
Example of Loving Others
Feast Day: November 16
[CLICK HERE] for a Saint Page about St. Margaret of Scotland that your learners can take home to share with their families.
Margaret was born around 1045 in Hungary. As a young woman, she lived with her family in England for a short time. Later, she and her family boarded a ship to return home, but the ship was caught in a storm and went far off course. The family ended up in Scotland.
Loving Wife and Mother
The King of Scotland fell in love with Margaret and they married in 1070. Margaret became the queen and lived in a castle. She and her husband had eight children. Margaret taught her children to love God and care for others. Margaret is a patron saint of large families.
Person of Compassion
Margaret could have lived an easy life at the castle, but she was a person of compassion, and so she reached out to those in need. She started each day with prayer. She helped those who came begging at the castle gates. She gave food to children without families.
Made Life Better for Others
Margaret used her resources to promote education, hire teachers, and build churches. This beloved queen made life better in many ways for the people in her kingdom. She died in 1093.
What Can We Do?
* We can talk about the life of St. Margaret of Scotland. What happened when she and her family sailed from England? How did she become queen of Scotland? What did she do to help others? How can we help people who are hungry or sick?
* We can start each day with prayer like St. Margaret did. We can offer our day to God with our own words or with a prayer such as the following: “God, thank you for the gift of this new day. Help me to serve others in what I do and say. Amen.”
* We can reach out to others by making Thanksgiving cards for people who are in care centers or hospitals.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for the example of saints and all they did to make our world a better place. Open our eyes to see the needs of others. Open our hearts to respond, like St. Margaret of Scotland did. Amen.
Patricia Mathson has many years of experience in faith formation as a DRE. She holds a Master of Religious Education degree from the University of Dallas and currently is the children’s ministry coordinator at a family shelter in Des Moines, IA. Patricia is the author of many books including Prayers and Activities on Service (Twenty-Third Publications).
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