Margaret of Scotland, Queen

Today the Church commemorates Margaret of Scotland, whose life of prayer and mercy brought the needs of Christ’s poor into the household of a King.

Margaret was born into an English royal family living in exile in Hungary. Her father returned to England in 1057, but he died soon afterwards. When the Norman Conquest drove the family into exile again, Margaret found refuge in Scotland. There, about 1070, she married King Malcolm and became Queen.

Margaret and Malcolm had eight children. She taught them the Scriptures and instructed them to love and fear God. She also took a personal interest in the education and Christian formation of the royal household, seeking to make the life of the court reflect the faith she professed.

Malcolm could not read the books that she used for prayer. Yet he loved to see her reading them, and he had them adorned with gold and precious stones. He listened to her counsel and often joined in her works of mercy. Their marriage brought her into the exercise of royal power, and she used that power to obtain food, shelter, and freedom for others.

Poor people came to her wherever she traveled. She gave away money and clothing, and when her own resources were exhausted she borrowed from her attendants. English captives had been carried into Scotland during warfare. Margaret sent people to discover which of them had suffered the harshest treatment, paid their ransom, and obtained their release. She provided lodging for pilgrims traveling to St Andrews and boats to carry them across the Forth without payment.

In Advent and Lent, Margaret rose during the night for prayer. After the offices, she and Malcolm washed the feet of poor people. In the morning, orphaned children were brought to her. She took them onto her lap and fed them herself. The King and Queen also served meals to the poor in the royal hall. Margaret did not merely arrange for the food to be provided; she carried it to those who ate it.

Her fasting was severe. She allowed herself little food, and the austerity damaged her health. Pain in her stomach accompanied her through much of her life. Even as her strength failed, she continued to pray, to read, and to attend to those who needed help.

Margaret also brought clergy together to discuss the Church’s worship. With Malcolm interpreting, she urged them to begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, to honor Sunday as the day of the Resurrection, and to bring the celebration of the Eucharist into conformity with the Roman usage she knew.

Some Christians stayed away from Communion because they feared that they were unworthy. Margaret answered that all were sinners. They should confess, repent, and then receive the Body and Blood of Christ, given for the forgiveness of sins and the life of those who received him. The remedy for sin was not to remain apart from the Savior.

Among the books she read was a volume of the Gospels with gilded letters and painted figures of the Evangelists. One day, the man carrying Margaret’s Gospel book dropped it into a river while crossing a ford. He went on without noticing the loss. When the book was finally found, it lay open beneath the water, which had washed away the silk coverings that protected its decoration. Yet its writing and gilding remained intact. Only the end leaves bore slight marks of damp. Margaret received the book back, thanked Christ, and treasured it still more.

Towards the end of her life, Margaret asked her spiritual adviser to remember her in his prayers and to care for her children. If they came to power, he was to warn them against pride and greed, and against forgetting eternal life in the enjoyment of earthly honors.

In 1093, Margaret was gravely ill. She urged Malcolm not to go on another campaign, but he went. He and their son Edward were killed. Before the news reached her, Margaret rose from her bed to attend Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Then she returned to her chamber, where her pain grew worse.

She asked for the relic called the Black Cross. Holding it before her, she prayed while the clergy commended her soul to Christ. One of her other sons returned from the army and came to her bedside. At first he tried to spare her by saying that his father and brother were well. Margaret pressed him to tell the truth, and he told her that both were dead.

In that sorrow, she raised her hands to God and gave him praise. Then she began a prayer to Jesus Christ, who had given life to the world through his death. As she spoke the words “deliver me”, she died. It was November 16, 1093. Her body was buried at the Church of the Holy Trinity at Dunfermline, which she had helped to establish.

The Queen who had freed captives died seeking the Savior’s mercy. We bring to him all that we have, and ask him to make it a blessing to others.