A Homily on St. Margaret of Scotland (November 16)

Location: Farm Street Church (London, England)

Today, we celebrate the memorial of a woman who possessed beauty and who reigned as queen. No, she was not an ordinary beauty queen; but a real queen who ruled over Scotland under her husband King Malcolm III, and exuded not only external beauty but most importantly, the beauty of her heart for the poor. She was St.Margaret of Scotland.

According to tradition, the family of then Princess Margaret decided to leave England and return to mainland Europe because of political chaos. However, a storm drove their ship north to Scotland, where they sought the protection of King Malcolm III.

Malcolm was probably a widower, and was no doubt attracted by her beauty and the prospect of marrying one of the few remaining members of the Anglo-Saxon royal family. Malcolm and Margaret had 8 children. She was a loving wife and mother.

As Queen, Margaret changed softened the king’s temper that led him to practice great virtue. When he realized how wise his beloved wife was, he listened to her good advice in ruling Scotland. Therefore, Margaret was not just beauty...but brains.

The king and queen prayed together and fed crowds of poor people with their own hands. So, she was not just beauty and brains... but also had a heart for charity.

Margaret was a blessing for all the people of Scotland. Before she came, there was great ignorance and many unacceptable beliefs and practices among them. She made “major, major” reforms such as educational reforms, cultural reforms and religious reforms. She obtained competent teachers for the people. She corrected the evil practices, and built new churches. She even embroidered the priest's vestments herself.

In her last illness, she learned that both her husband and her son, Edward, had been killed in battle. Yet she prayed: "I thank You, Almighty God, for sending me so great a sorrow to purify me from my sins."

She was not just a woman of substance but a woman of faith. There’s nothing extraordinary with what she did. All Christians are called to be charitable. She was an ordinary Christian with an extraordinary love for God, her people and her family which is, for her, the true essence of a woman.