Why Miracles? Miracles reaffirm God’s love for us. Through them God reveals His power to heal and His great mercy for us. Miracles are spiritual gifts God gives His Church, and they have been the heritage of our faith since Biblical times. Jesus said that miraculous signs will follow those who believe in Him (Mark 16:17-18). This is how we are assured that God still performs miracles through believers who are filled with the Spirit.
Catholics believe that the prayers of the saints in heaven are very powerful. We don’t pray to saints; rather we ask for their intercession, just as you might ask a family member to pray for you. Mother Margarita’s parting words were her promise to intercede for us before God. She said we should not worry, she would take care of us from heaven. Indeed, she has fulfilled this promise. The intercession of Mother Margarita has touched the lives of many around the world with her favors, both large and small.
The Miracle
By now, you are probably wondering what the miracle was that earned Mother Margarita the title of “Blessed.” The miracle was bestowed on Beatriz Romero Escalante from Mexico City. At the time of the miracle she was 40 years old, married, with three children. In 1999, she was hospitalized with an acute case of necrotic pancreatitis. She was taken to two different hospitals. But when the doctors at the second hospital saw her they said there was nothing more they could do. The family then requested another opinion, and three more doctors came from yet another hospital to assess her case. They said she would not survive; she would die that very night. There was irreversible cell damage and her organs were all shutting down. At that prognosis, the entire Escalante family began praying the novena to Mother Margarita without stopping. At the same time in Guadalajara Mexico, the aunts of Beatriz (from her father’s side of the family), who were alumna of the Vera Cruz School, of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, visited the Convent of the Mercedarian Sisters and asked for prayers through the intercession of Mother Margarita. The entire community of sisters began praying as soon as the request was made. Twelve hours after starting the novena, the vital signs became normal, and her kidneys began functioning. After another twelve hours all of her organs and vital signs were normal again. She had become fully responsive. Following all of this, doctors said there was absolutely no evidence of pancreatitis ever being present. Exactly 48 hours after admission to Hospital Militar Espanol in Mexico City, she was discharged. There were no sequels to the pancreatitis. In the years following this ordeal, every time Beatriz went for a check-up, she was found to be in perfect health. Today she enjoys a normal life with her children and grandchildren, and is a committed worker in her parish.
In December 2005, Sr. Flor de Maria Alvarez, MMB, the current Postulator of the Cause, and a team of doctors from the Vatican, examined the case of Beatriz Escalante in Mexico City, Mexico. They determined that her healing could not be medically explained. This finding was communicated to the Vatican and was the culminating event that made it possible to declare that the healing was a miracle through Mother Margarita Maturana. Her Beatification was celebrated on October 22, 2006. What a glorious day it was, when Beatriz, her husband, her parents and an aunt attended the ceremony of “Beatification” in Bilbao. They came with other pilgrims from Mexico, and participated in all the celebrations and ceremonies in Mother Margarita’s honor. Beatriz even spoke at the Basilica of Begona about her healing. What praise was given to God that day through this miracle, which brought the healing power of love to Beatriz, through the intercession of Mother Margarita.
All over the world there are testimonies of God’s love through favors that have been worked through Mother Margarita’s intercession. And those who have received these favors are encouraged to share God’s love. Such favors are given for exactly that reason–to encourage our faith, our love for God and to renew our zeal to work for the fullness of the Kingdom in Heaven.
Some Favors
BILBAO, SPAIN
My husband was diagnosed with cancer of the lung, with very little hope of survival. …I turned to Mother Margarita, asking her to intercede and let my husband live for at least two more years. My husband did live for two and a half years more. I want to express publicly… my sincere thanks to Mother Margarita for answering my request…and for helping me accept the outcome with much peace. Rosario Ibarra
SAIPAN, MARIANA ISLANDS
(This favor was recorded by the Mercedarian Missionary Sisters and archived in their home in Berriz, Spain. Francisco was born in 1958.)
Francisco Flores Borja was ten months old when he fell from the bed. He seemed fine at first but then wouldn’t eat, and began to develop fever. His mother took him to the dispensary since she didn’t think it was anything serious. At the dispensary however, they told her the child was in very serious condition, and she should take the baby to the hospital. Two doctors; Dr. Kaipat and Dr. Palacios, both agreed that the baby could not be cured. Half of the baby’s body had become paralyzed and was degenerating. The family was called in since the doctors’ felt the child was in danger of death. The family then went to the Convent of the Mercedarian Sisters for a relic of Mother Margarita, and began invoking her help in prayer. As they prayed, the doctors again examined the baby and said he would die within the hour. The baby was given to the mother to hold, but it already looked dead. The family kept imploring Mother Margarita to intercede. After three hours, the baby began to cry and to move the paralyzed arm. The doctors were “awestruck,” and said “This could only have been a miracle.” After five days, the baby was discharged, completely well, with no further incident. The family was very grateful to Mother Margarita and they gave a donation to the Sisters for her Cause.
This incident was verified by Estefania (Nia) Chong, the sister of Francisco. Today, Nia still has a very strong devotion to Mother Margarita and prays daily to her. A few years after her brother was cured, Nia named her daughter Angelina Margarita in honor of the favor their family received. Nia also shared that she prayed to Mother Margarita that her children would always be together here on Saipan, and not move away, and today she enjoys this blessing.
COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA
My sister-in-law fractured her hip with very serious consequences. Almost immediately, she suffered an embolism and the doctors told her husband and children that nothing could be done, and to prepare themselves to face the worst very soon. I began the Novena to Mother Margarita. On the 8th day of the novena, when reading the verse from John 11:4 “This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory…” I felt as if these words were going to become a reality in the illness of my sister-in-law. A short time later, she recovered her health, and today I want to thank God, and the powerful intercession of Mother Margarita. Edith Chaverri de Saenz.
And Mother Margarita continues interceding on our behalf. Next week we will describe in detail the miracle of love, bestowed on another of our islanders here in Saipan, when she was very young.
(Committee for the Canonization of Mother Margarita Maturana)
