Marguerite-Marie Alacoque

Holy Marguerite-Marie Alacoque (Verosvres July 22nd 1647 - Paray-le-Monial the October 17th 1690), religious mystic of the Order of the Visitation, initiator with Jean Eudes of the worship of the Sacred Heart, canonized in 1920.

Biography

Marguerite is the fifth child of Claude Alacoque and Philiberte Lamyn, which enjoyed a social good position. As of her first childhood, Marguerite showed a devotion particular towards the the Blessed Sacrament and she preferred silence and the prayer with the plays of the children. At five years, at the time of a stay at its godmother, whose girl was nun, she heard of the religious wishes, and made, without the knowledge of all, her first dedication to the mass or she pronounced these words: “O my God, I devote you my purity and make you wish of perpetual chastity”. After its first communion, at the nine years age, it practices in secrecy of severe mortifications of its body, before the paralysis does not nail it with the bed during four years.

At the end of this period, having made the wish with the Virgin devote to the religious life, it would have been found cured at once. By recognition, she added, the day of her Confirmation, the name of Marie to her Christian name. Become orphan of father, it was collected with her mother at parents who tormented them, removing any control of their goods to them and their acts. Marguerite then found her comfort in the prayer, and at this point in time it would have had its first visions of Jesus Christ. It usually appeared to him on the cross or at the time of the episode of the Ecce Homo and she was not astonished any, thinking that others received also these minks.

When it was seventeen years old, its family could recover her good and his/her mother entrusted her desire to him to establish it in the world. Then, although regularly ravaged with the Penitence S which it was essential, it started to take part in the fashionable activities. One night whereas it had returned from a ball, it would have had a vision of Christ during a Flagellation: it reproached him its inaccuracy after it had given him so many evidence of love. During the remainder of its life Marguerite cried two “faults” which it had made in this time: to have carried some ornaments and put a mask at the Carnival to give pleasure with his/her brothers.

She visited several Couvent S, and while entering that of the Visitation of Paray-le-Monial, an interior voice would have said to him: “It is here that I want you”. The May 25th, 1671, it entered to the monastery and in November 1672, it pronounced its perpetual wishes. Of fragile health it did not continue of them less its scourgings, as well as the most extreme macerations (coprophagie) while Christ continued to appear to him.

Most famous of these appearances of June 1675 is that. Jesus would then have shown him his heart while saying: “Here is this Heart which loved the men so much, until becoming exhausted and consuming themselves to testify his love to them, and for recognition I receive majority only ingratitudes… ”. Another time, it would have said to him: “My divine Cœur is impassioned of love for the men, and you in particular”. Consequently, Marie was invested mission of establishing a devotion particular towards her Sacré-coeur .

These demonstrations were worth to him to be badly seen by the remainder of the community, which treated it of visionary, at this point that its higher him intima the order to yield with the common life. However its obedience, its humility and its charity towards those which persecuted it ended finally up carrying it and its mission had suddenly been recognized by these even which had shown him the cruelest opposition. With the assistance of the Father Claude Colombière, that Jesus would have presented to him like his “truth and perfect friendly”, Marguerite-Marie will make known the message that Jesus would have addressed to him. It is the beginning of the worship of the Sacré-coeur . Inspired by Christ, Marguerite Marie has established the practical Holy Hour which consisted in requesting, wide by ground, the face against the ground for eleven hours of the evening until midnight first Thursday of each month, in order to share the sadness mortal which It had supported, when given up by Its Apostles in His Anguish, and to receive the following day the Communion. It chooses for festival of Crowned Heart Friday which follows the octave of the festival of the Body of Christ; it called holy “the beloved disciple of the Crowned Heart” and heiress of all Its treasures. During its last disease she refused any relief, not ceasing repeating: “What I have in the sky and what I wish on the ground, it is you only, O my God” and she died by pronouncing the name of Jesus.

The lawsuit in canonization

The discussion about the mission and the virtues of Marguerite Marie continued during years. One subjected to the examination totality his actions, of his revelations, his spiritual maxims and his teaching concerning the devotion with Crowned Heart, which it had exposed and of which it was the apostle, and finally Crowned the Congregation of the Rites emitted a favorable vote. In March 1824, Leon XII proclaimed it Vénérable and on September 18th, 1864, Pie IX declared it happy. She was canonized by Benoît XV the May 13rd 1920. When its tomb was canonically open in July 1830, two instantaneous cures took place. Its remainders rest under the furnace bridge of the vault with Paray-le-Monial and from the remarkable many graces were obtained by the pilgrims who come there from the whole world.

External bonds

Note of the catholic encyclopedia
Biography
Publication of the stag

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