Like St. Therese, Mother Margarita struggled with prayer for a very long time. In the darkness of her soul, she began to think all her faith had been extinguished. Spiritual consolation was something that eluded both Therese and Margarita, simply because God was acting in their lives to show them that He was more than a word or a desire. God’s absence became a gift of His presence, leading to a deeper search, a deeper trust guided by faith and love. This is what energized both of them for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. Through this darkness they both had the assurance that it was God who was working in them, and that nothing depended on their effort.
Not only did they live many years in spiritual darkness, but St. Therese and Mother Margarita suffered immense physical pain. Both used their suffering for the glory of God. Mother Margarita had stomach cancer and Saint Therese suffered from tuberculosis. Mother Margarita expressed it this way: “I would like to die transformed and nailed to the cross of our Redeemer, with no other feelings than his glorifying the Father, conquering for Him the human race that tries to escape Him. “ Saint Therese said: “I don’t have any fear of the final struggles or of sufferings, however great they might be. I count on Him. I’m sure He will continue to the end. I might very well not be able to stand anymore, but I’ll never have too much, I’m sure.”
Most astonishing, was in all this there was joy. Joy permeated the lives of these two women because they knew that God loved them infinitely and their only mission was to share that love with others out of gratitude. As Mother Margarita exclaimed once: “…The knowledge of Jesus Christ absorbs me and fills me with joy…” And Saint Therese embraced suffering in the same way when she said, “…my longing to suffer was granted to the full, yet I was as happy as could be.” Such joy can only be found in those who have fully accepted the mercy and love of God.
The love of Mother Margarita and Saint Therese was boundless. Both of them, knowing that death was imminent, did not think of ending their mission to make God known. They extended their work to the heavens. Saint Therese said: “I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth….
My mission is to make God loved.” As Mother Margarita knew God was calling her, she said to Mother Nieves that she had many things to think about, but that “she would help her from heaven.”
While Saint Therese never left the cloister, she was a missionary because she desired that all mankind be saved. She prayed and sacrificed for the missions unceasingly and so Pope Pius XI proclaimed her the Patroness of the Missions. What makes a missionary is the heart that burns with zeal for Christ and the salvation of souls. On the other hand, God allowed Mother Margarita to transform a cloistered monastery into a missionary institute, and bring the message of salvation to the world. Whether it is through prayer, sacrifice, preaching or work in the missions, the goal is the same; to save souls through the love of Christ who saved us.
Saint Therese was called “The Little Flower,” because of her childlike trust in God. “Daisy” is the English equivalent for the Spanish name “Margarita.” A daisy is a simple flower that blooms anywhere it is planted, just as Mother Margarita’s message of God blossomed all over the world through the simplicity of the Mercedarian sisters, who trusted in God to work through them.
Let us continue to pray through the intercession of both these great women—St. Therese of Lisieux and Blessed Margarita Maria Maturana.
