Franciscan herald (1913 - 1940) . sins withwhich she had offended the mostholy and just God and scandalizedher fellow men. She at once re-solved to mend her ways and toatone for her sins by penance. After returning to the family ofthe deceased all the jewels and theproperty he had given her, she puton a penitential garb, and betookherself to Laviano, where she en-treated her father to admit her intohis house. Touched with compas-sion at her misery, he consented toreceive her, but the opposition ofthe relentless stepmother obligedhim to send his daughter from hisdoor. In this severe trial, made
Franciscan herald (1913 - 1940) . sins withwhich she had offended the mostholy and just God and scandalizedher fellow men. She at once re-solved to mend her ways and toatone for her sins by penance. After returning to the family ofthe deceased all the jewels and theproperty he had given her, she puton a penitential garb, and betookherself to Laviano, where she en-treated her father to admit her intohis house. Touched with compas-sion at her misery, he consented toreceive her, but the opposition ofthe relentless stepmother obligedhim to send his daughter from hisdoor. In this severe trial, made moresevere by a terrible temptation togo back to her former life, Margaretcalled upon God, who does not for-sake the repentant sinner. By di-vine inspiration, she went to Corto-na, where, after making a generalconfession in the church of theFranciscans, she placed herself un-der their guidance. Thenceforth, she lived in a small,secluded house, and gave herselfup to prayer and works of penance,at the same time gaining her liveli-. St. Margaret of Cortona hood by the labor of her often begged with tears for thehabit of the Third Order, but her re-quest was granted only after threeyears of the severest probation. After her admission into theThird Order, she practised thestrictest poverty, begging her foodfrom door to door. With evengreater fervor than before, she de-voted herself to almost uninter-rupted prayer, and to works of theseverest mortification. Her bedwas the bare floor; her ordinaryfood a little bread and water, and afew raw herbs. At times her fer-vor would have led her into intem-perate self-mortification, if she hadnot been restrained by her prudentspiritual adviser. This life of se- 44 FRANCISCAN HERALD elusion and penance did not hinderher from being active in the serviceof others. She prevailed upon theinhabitants of Cortona to found ahospital for the sick poor; she insti-tuted a congregation of TertiarySisters to nurse the sick; and estab-lished a conf
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidfranciscanhe, bookyear1914
