Virgin & Martyr
St. Margaretha, or Margaret, of Antioch lived during the Diocletian persecution and was a contemporary of the fellow virgin and martyr, St. Lucia. Margaret’s own story even mirrors the dramatic contours of Lucia’s life. Margaret devoted her days entirely to her Lord at a young age, attracted a jealous and influential suitor, and held to an unwavering confession of her Savior to the very end.
St. Margaretha was not born to Christian parents. Shortly after Margaretha birth, her mother left her in the care of a wet nurse who adopted Margaretha as her own. By God’s good will, this nurse was a devout Christian and held an influential roll on the young girl who would soon follow her nurse’s example and devote her own life to the Lord and take the vow of virginity.
Margaretha was not only beautiful of heart and soul; her earthly beauty was also said to have been unmatched. It was for this reason that she couldn’t go unnoticed by a man, Olybruis, when he caught sight of Margaretha out in the field tending to her caregiver’s sheep. Olybruis immediately summoned Margaretha and stated his intention to make her his wife. She explained that she was a Christian and had taken a vow of celibacy for her Lord. Furious that she would refuse him, Olybruis ordered that the young virgin be jailed and tortured.
The same evening, Margaretha was visited by the devil in the form of a dragon. The dragon swallowed Margaretha whole when she would not renounce her faith. Yet, the dragon was said to have not been able to contain Margaret as she made the sign of the cross. Its belly burst open, thus releasing the woman from its bowels. The devil fled after he could not withstand her persistent faith.
The very next day she was summoned to be tortured. However, she remained unmoved by the persecution and through her endurance converted over 5,000 onlookers who were then put to death. Her suitor feared that more people would be converted, so he ordered Margaretha to be beheaded. Her only request was that she could have time to pray. This she was granted and, mirroring her Lord’s passion and the witness of the saints, delighted to join in Jesus’ prayer for her persecutors. While we do not know the contents of her prayer, many have supposed that she also remembered to ask God’s mercy upon all women at the time of their delivery as a reflection back on her own labor from the bowls of the devil. Her beheading took place sometime in mid-July, which established her date of commemoration in the Church on July 13th.
A Brief History
St. Margaret might be a new name for many Lutherans. She is not mentioned on the Lutheran Church-Missori Synod’s sanctoral calendar found in our Lutheran Service Book, but her importance in to Christians in ages past is well-established. She was likely popularized by her inclusion among the “Fourteen Holy Helpers,” a group of saints recognized during the Middle Ages that would have been a well-known list among German Lutherans of the time. It has only been over the course of the past couple of centuries that St. Margaret fell out of popularity and that modern-day Christians became unfamiliar with her story. In fact, three different virgins were part of the famous fourteen helpers including Margaret, Barbara, and Catherine. Pictured below is a rendering of the fourteen saints all in line–Margaret can be found on the far right.
It should be noted that Margaret’s feast day in the West is often listed as July 20th, after one of the many dates she was thought to be beheaded. However, Wilhelm Loehe provides July 13th as her date within his Martyrologium, establishing that as the historic U.S. Lutheran feast day. Although her date might be listed in a variety of places in the middle of July, we hope that you’ll take the time to commemorate Margaret at any point in the month and use her fantastic story to meditate upon her symbolic defeat of the devil and her pious, faithful end.
Collect
O God, Who among the other miracles of Thy power, has given even maidens the victory of martyrdom: grant we beseech Thee, that we, who are celebrating the heavenly birthday of Blessed Margaretha, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may, by her example be inspired to great faith in Thee; through Jesus Christ of Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Lessons
Resources
Propers found in Daily Divine Service Book: A Lutheran Daily Missal, edited by the Rev. Heath Curtis
References:
1. de Voragine, Jacobus. The Golden Legend: Reading on the Saints. Vol. 1. Translated by William Granger Ryan. Princeton Press. 1993.
Images:
1. Ste Marguerite, vierge et maryre from The Calendar of Saints, Jacques Callot, France, ca. 1600.
2. Detail of a miniature of St. Margaret emerging from the fire-breathing dragon from the Dunois Hours, France, ca. 1339-1450.
3. The Fourteen Holy Helpers, Unknown, Germany, ca. 19th century.
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