Say the following prayers daily for 9 days.
O glorious St. Margaret,
you embarked on a life of penance and poverty
after you repented of your sins.
Jesus touched your heart,
and after imposing on yourself a rigorous life of fasting,
Jesus talked and conversed with you,
revealing to you his merciful heart
that rejoices whenever a sinner returns to him.
On controlling your appetite for food,
you managed to free yourself from all temptations,
including those of the flesh
of which you were a victim for many years.
Listen then to our petitions
(here mention your petitions…).
May you bring our petitions to Jesus.
Amen.
FIRST DAY
O humble St. Margaret,
when you decided to follow Jesus radically
by embarking on a life of penance,
your father and your stepmother did not at all help you
and all your relatives abandoned you.
But you did not get discouraged
and you persisted in your calling,
attracting the admiration of many persons,
including the Pope himself.
Your sins inspired you to be holy
because of the humiliation you received.
Make us believe that God can draw straight
in the crooked lines of our sins.
Do not make us dwell on our past mistakes and sins.
Inspire us to experience God’s mercy
so that we may look forward
to our glorious destination in heaven.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
SECOND DAY
O humble St. Margaret,
you took the death of your lover
as a sign that God was asking repentance from you.
You left his home after returning to his family
the gifts that he had given you.
You were determined to begin anew
and though you had a son to take care of,
you decided to leave behind the life of sin.
Help us, dear saint,
to detach ourselves from loving too much material comforts
and to give up our values and virtues
in exchange for material possessions.
Inspire us to live simply
that we may always sing God’s glory.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
THIRD DAY
O humble St. Margaret,
you were not discouraged when people laughed at you
after you embarked on a life of penance.
You did not mind them because you were concentrating
on pleasing Jesus to whom you shed tears of repentance.
It took some time before people noticed that you were a saint.
But you were too focused on Jesus
to be aware of the praises people heaped on you.
Help us to make Jesus the most important person in our life
that we may not feel discouraged when criticized
or elated when praised.
Inspire us to serve him the way you did,
and lead us to the joy of his Kingdom.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
FOURTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
you never ceased to shed tears
for the sins you committed in your youth.
But those tears were not only due to sadness
but also due to joy,
knowing that God’s grace was much stronger
than the sins you committed.
You experienced an abundance of God
as you remembered your sins
and asked him for his forgiveness.
You cried because you felt the overpowering presence of God
and your intimate union with him
attested to the fact that sin indeed has no power over us.
Help us St. Margaret
to experience God’s powerful and loving presence.
In this way, like you,
we will anticipate the joy of heaven on earth.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
FIFTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
you were God’s instrument
to many miracles in your lifetime.
Through your closeness to Jesus,
The sick were cured
and you helped many others with their problems.
Your presence was comforting
and your words were sought about by learned people.
Your sanctity led you to the hearts of many admirers,
but you were always aware of your unworthiness.
Your glory was your humility
and you managed to enter into the hearts of many
because of this virtue.
Teach us to be humble,
to seek the lowest place so that we, too,
may provide solace and peace
among our brothers and sisters.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
SIXTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
your son became a priest,
seeking holiness because of your example.
Your son was your special offering to God.
You followed the tradition of Catholic mothers
whose joy it was to offer their children
in the service of God and the Church.
We remember the many mothers
who are suffering a lot
because of problems caused by their children.
We offer to Jesus their pains and ask you,
dear saint, to intercede for them,
that these mothers may soon find consolation
when their wayward children
return to the fold of Jesus.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
SEVENTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
to show total repentance over your sins,
you covered your beautiful face with mud and dirt.
You did not want to tempt anyone,
nor lead any man to sin with your body.
You realized that your lack of modesty
and simplicity in the past
caused many to think impurely.
Your mission, as you saw after your conversion,
was to lead people to virtue and piety.
Help us, dear saint,
to live simply and modestly,
and refrain us from using clothes
and other beautifying things
that will lead people to sin,
to think of impurity.
Make us aware that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,
holy instruments that must be venerated.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
EIGHTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
you followed St. Francis of Assisi in his life of poverty
by living on alms while taking care of the sick.
You knew the temptations of money and riches,
and you had the courage to return the money, lands,
and jewelries that your lover gave you to his family.
You wanted to be poor because you wished to imitate Jesus.
Inspire us, dear saint,
to believe that sanctity should simplify our lives,
that we should disdain from luxury and waste,
not to accept money from corruption
and to value only that which comes from our sweat and work.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
NINTH DAY
O glorious St. Margaret,
you loved to attend parties and banquets
when you were still living with your lover.
On your conversion,
the only banquet that you participated
was the Eucharistic sacrifice,
and the only food that you wanted
was Jesus’ Body and Blood.
You lost weight and became so thin
that doctors feared for your life.
But you lived long enough.
Your being thin revealed the spiritual vigor
and health that you enjoyed.
O dear saint, inspire us to love the Eucharist
and to receive Jesus’ Body and Blood
every time we participate in this banquet.
May your spiritual vigor and enthusiasm be with us.
Amen.
Daily Prayers
Say 3 Our Father…
Say 3 Hail Mary…
Say 3 Glory Be…
Say 3 times: St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.