Traditional Catholic Daily Devotional

Mar 26 – Thur of Passion Week / S Margaret Clitherow

March 26
11 mins

Episode Description

It's the Feast of Thur of Passion Week, 3rd Class, with the color of Violet. In this episode: the meditation: "The Folly of Love", today's news from the Church: "Bishops to Ensure Christian Life", a preview of the Sermon: "The Sufferings of Christ's Soul", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? podcast@sspx.org Sources Used Today:

Saint Margaret Clitherow is one of the great martyrs of the English Reformation, a woman whose courage and fidelity shone in a time of persecution. She was born in 1556 in York, England, into a Protestant family. As a young woman she married John Clitherow, a successful butcher, and for a time lived an ordinary life as a wife and mother. Yet through grace and conviction, Margaret converted to the Catholic faith at a time when such a decision carried serious risk.

In Elizabethan England, the practice of the Catholic religion was forbidden, and priests were hunted as traitors. Margaret, however, opened her home as a place of refuge. She sheltered priests, arranged for the celebration of Mass, and ensured that her children were raised in the faith. Her house even contained a hidden chamber where priests could hide from authorities. She knew well the danger, yet she accepted it willingly, seeing in it a service to Christ and His Church.

Margaret was arrested more than once for her recusancy, refusing to attend Protestant services. Eventually, she was charged with harboring priests, a crime punishable by death. When brought to trial, she refused to enter a plea. By doing so, she sought to protect her children and others from being forced to testify. The law responded with brutal severity. She was sentenced to death by pressing, a punishment in which heavy weights were laid upon the body.

On March 25, 1586, Margaret Clitherow faced her martyrdom with remarkable peace. She forgave her persecutors and entrusted herself to God. In her final moments, she asked for prayers and commended her soul to Christ. She died beneath the crushing weight, offering her life as a witness to the truth of the Catholic faith.

The Church honors Saint Margaret Clitherow as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, recognizing her as a model of steadfast faith in the face of persecution. She is especially venerated as a patron of mothers, converts, and those who must practice their faith under hardship.

In York, her memory is still cherished. Pilgrims visit the site of her home and the place of her execution, recalling her sacrifice. Her feast is observed on March 26, and in England she is remembered among the martyrs who preserved the faith during one of its darkest hours.

Saint Margaret Clitherow, courageous martyr and faithful servant of Christ, pray for us.

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