Margaret of Ravenna

ON MARGARET, A VIRGIN, AT RAVENNA IN ITALY.

Year of Christ 1505.

Margaret, Virgin at Ravenna in Italy.

[1] Philip Ferrarius inscribed the name of the most devout Virgin Margaret in the general catalogue of Saints in these words: "At Russi, near Ravenna, of Blessed Margaret, Virgin." Her Life was published in Italian by Seraphinus Firmanus, a Lateran Canon: The feast of Margaret, which, along with the other works of the same Seraphinus, was translated into Spanish by Bonaventura Cervantes de Morales, into French by Francois Gilbert de la Brosse, her Life, and finally into Latin by Philip Zoutaeus of our Society. To which we shall subjoin another, elegantly composed by Girolamo Rossi, published in the last edition of Surius; which Silvano Razzi also rendered into Italian in volume 1 of his work on women illustrious for holiness, and he too calls her Blessed, although the previously cited authors do not record whether she was publicly enrolled in the register of holy Virgins by the Church. She will be mentioned again below on January 28, when we treat of Gentile, her disciple. Concerning the lives of both, the same Seraphinus reports: "In the year 1537, our Holy Lord Paul III, Her deeds were examined by order of Paul III. Supreme Pontiff, ordered that many testimonies concerning the lives of the pious women of whom we have made mention above be examined by the Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Cardinal Simonetta, who in his letters addressed to the Cardinal of Mantua and to the Most Excellent Duke of Mantua testifies to their holiness. His Holiness, moreover, confirmed the Society instituted by Blessed Margaret, as appears from the bull issued by the same Pontiff."

LIFE

Written in Italian by Seraphinus Firmanus, rendered into Latin by Philip Zoutaeus, S.J.

Margaret, Virgin at Ravenna in Italy.

From the Italian of Seraphinus Firmanus.

PROLOGUE OF THE AUTHOR.

[1] Christ always comes to the aid of His Church in adversity. Although our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Most High God, demonstrates Himself to be true God in all things, He nonetheless especially reveals His divinity to His own in this: that although He has always permitted His Church, like a ship, to be tossed by the various waves of persecutions, He has never allowed it to be swallowed up by shipwreck -- showing by His endurance in suffering and His strength in defending that He is at once God and man. Thus by the courage of His Martyrs He repressed the diabolical fury of Tyrants; by the wisdom of Doctors He overthrew the perfidy of heretics; and by the living example of holy monks and religious He confounded the abominable monsters of hypocrisy. And since in these times greater storms than usual are arising, what else should we hope for but that the Lord will now, as at other times, command the winds and change all storms into a remarkable calm? Which we trust indeed, and believe without doubt, will be granted to us (as has been seen not once before) by the merits of the Saints. And lest those who await the redemption of Israel seem to be held in suspense too long by the desire of that time, and so that they may more easily bear the delay, I shall briefly recount what happened in our own age through the distinguished holiness of two women, so that our hope, as it were extinguished by the wickedness of these times, may revive by their example.

CHAPTER I.

The Birth and Virtues of Margaret.

[2] A few years before that dreadful battle which was waged between the Spanish and the French near Ravenna in the year 1512 after the birth of Christ, there departed from this life to a better one that most pure Virgin, Margaret's homeland, Margaret by name, truly most precious of all, and adorned with very many miracles. She was born in a humble and small town called Russi, her holiness from an early age. whence not without labor I had to gather those few facts that I have recorded of her deeds. In her, from earliest infancy, illustrious marks of holiness were visible, so that certain pious persons believed -- just as Jerome holds concerning St. James the Apostle -- that she had been adorned by God's grace long before she was brought forth into the light. She was three months old At three she becomes blind: when she lost her sight -- as though it were fitting that she should be deprived of the sight of earthly things who was born only for the contemplation of divine things.

[3] Moreover, from her fifth year, undaunted by any dangers of illness, she always walks with bare feet: she walked with bare feet in every season of the year. She had scarcely reached her seventh year when she began to devote herself to fasting and, lest she be unlike her Spouse, to pursue such poverty that, she lives by begging. renouncing not only possessions but home, clothing, and all other things necessary for sustenance, she lived by alms that she collected. And although her most pure flesh never lusted against the spirit, nevertheless, because she was set before the world as an example at a time when Christian morals were degenerating into Epicurean ways, she continually afflicted her little body with fasts, and in the greatest austerity: vigils, hairshirts, and other austerities -- now indulging late into the night in tears and most ardent sighs to God, now prostrating herself on the ground for a brief rest, or lying upon a bundle of twigs.

[4] But lest anything be lacking in her according to the standard of Christian perfection, God wished to test and examine her, like gold in a furnace, with various afflictions; for fourteen years she is ill: so that, like Job, He exercised her for a continuous stretch of fourteen years with diverse diseases. In which span, truly long, she lived so devoid of all human consolation that, even to increase her pain, she suffers detractors. she was scorned by many as wicked and hateful to heaven; and she who caused no one any trouble was cruelly assailed by the malicious tongues of detractors -- I believe, so that she who emulated the innocence of Christ might also express His patience by enduring. And certainly, if, as the sacred Scriptures say, patience works a perfect work, who will call her perfection in that kind into doubt? James 1:4. Especially since it is established that she pursued her detractors with as much love as others customarily pursue those who love them most, indeed their own brothers. So thoroughly was she free from all indignation well disposed toward them: that when she was most afflicted by others, she then showed the most benign spirit and countenance, always believing herself to be worthy of greater injuries. She affected many with admiration of herself on account of her singular virtues. For in her there was everything that might inspire wonder. always the same: But I was never moved to greater admiration than when I saw her, amid such troubles and such adverse circumstances, always remain the same, with the most constant and most even spirit -- because no virtue can be accomplished without humility of soul, although humility itself, without other virtues, with God's help suffices for perfection.

[5] Although she was so trampled upon by many, yet, so far from her light being hidden thereby, it easily made itself conspicuous, with the darkness overcome. she forms many in the spiritual life: Whence it happened that very many, attracted by the fragrance of her holiness, came to her, and afterward more than three hundred depended upon her precepts and used her as their guide on the path of Gospel advancement; who therefore rightly called her their teacher of life even publicly -- they who had been recalled to the right path by her examples rather than by her words. she consoles all, She was moved by a singular compassion for those whom she knew to be bound by sins; she raised up many who had been cast down by despair, and brought them to place their hope in God, with no one departing from her without spiritual help. For God so equipped her words with that power effective in her words: that, instilling the fear of God on one side and the love of God on the other in the hearts of her hearers, she impelled them all in every way to the imitation of Christ and the flight from sin. This can be seen in a noble matron she converts a matron from vanity: who had previously been wonderfully devoted to the vain pomp of the world: eagerly desiring to hear her teachings, she at last heard them. But God added such power to them that, having gone home from her, she immediately changed her mind and her garment, cast off the whole world, and consecrated herself entirely to prayer alone.

[6] It seems superfluous to describe her deep humility of soul, which was the reason she derived as much joy from contempt as the proud customarily derive from their greatness and glory. This could be recognized most of all when, by God's will, she had gone to Rimini, she flees honor: where she was received by everyone and even by the Clergy itself with such manifestation of joy, such honor and applause, that a person could not be received with greater. She was commonly called a "Saint," and honored in the manner that befits Saints. Finally, since she could not, as she wished, hide herself in obscurity, she was compelled to bestow her blessing on everyone; which having done, she immediately returned to Ravenna, where she was known to few and despised by many, she rejoices in contempt: saying that her peace was only where she was despised. From this it is clearly evident that her humility was by no means feigned, as is sometimes the case with certain persons who abase themselves not in order to be despised but in order to be considered gentle and meek. And this is indeed a double pride: to seek glory by means of humility. But he who is perfectly humble is truly crucified to the world, and, with St. Paul, glories only in the Cross of Christ the Lord. Galatians 6:14. As was also apparent in this Virgin of whom we speak, who wonderfully extolled chastity according to her custom, yet in such a way that she said it could by no means be acquired by human strength and effort.

[7] Hence, when a certain man among those who were piously disposed toward her was most gravely assailed by carnal desires, she obtains for a man that he be freed from temptations of the flesh, and she perceived that he was on the point of succumbing, she admirably strengthened him and exhorted him to resist, saying that those who turned their backs to the enemy were by no means crowned. But when he, distrusting and despairing of victory, nevertheless humbly implored her aid in prayer, she was at last compelled to address him with these words: "Since you despair so greatly about a matter which would be easy for you to obtain if you were willing to exert yourself as much as you can, I assure you that henceforth you will never be in danger or trouble from the conflict of this vice, which you so greatly fear to be overcome by; but you will also lack the crown which you could have obtained by fighting valiantly." And behold, at that very instant he felt himself freed from that vexation, so much so that afterward he could deal with women without danger, as if he had returned to the innocence of children. The same man afterward, having taken the habit of a hermit, survived for a very long time and departed this life not long ago.

(a) Ravenna, as Leander Albertus writes, received a terrible disaster in the year 1512 after the birth of Christ, when the Spanish army was routed, and in that battle Gaston de Foix, the French commander, fell. The city was most cruelly pillaged by the French soldiers, etc. He adds the sacrileges perpetrated during the plundering, and examples of divine retribution.

(b) Russi, as Ferrarius writes in his Notes, is a town between Faenza and Ravenna, closer to Faenza at a distance of five miles. Rossi speaks of it below.

(c) St. Jerome, in his book on Writers, chapter 2, concerning St. James the Apostle: "He was holy from his mother's womb: he drank no wine or strong drink," etc.

CHAPTER II.

Her prophecies and miracles.

[8] Another thing found in her was also most worthy of admiration: namely, that although she was blind, she knew not only things present, but also things future and things very distant and remote. And since it would be tedious to adduce many examples of this, I shall be content with one, which is as follows: A certain woman named Gentile (of whom more will be said later) had placed herself under her guidance, and often visited her, as was her custom in all matters, for the sake of counsel. She knows the secrets of hearts: When, therefore, she could not consult her, because she found her conversing with God, she nonetheless perceived that something had been enjoined upon her by Margaret, in which she clearly recognized the complete resolution of the doubt for which she had come. Whence it is a manifest indication that the secrets of hearts were known to her.

[9] She also predicted many things long in advance, which came about exactly as she had predicted. She predicts the future: Wherefore I conclude, not rashly, that she was inspired by the prophetic spirit. I shall not omit here a certain teaching of hers, most necessary for all students of the spiritual life: that although very many things were divinely revealed to her, she does not make much of revelations, lest she be deceived, she never made much of them, nor placed any trust in them, lest by this means she be unwarily deceived by the devil, who (as the sacred Scriptures say) transforms himself into an angel of light in order to deceive the imprudent more easily. 2 Corinthians 11:14. For this reason she clearly and explicitly instructed that disciple of hers, whom I mentioned above, not to give credence to any thing whatsoever unless the Church proposed it as to be believed: by which single teaching all the illusions of the demon vanish -- illusions which in any case abound greatly in this time, when the throne is being prepared for the Antichrist, whose coming, as St. Paul says, is according to the working of Satan, in all power and signs and lying wonders, etc. -- so much so that scarcely a tenth of those who easily believe in supernatural revelations can escape the wiles of the crafty and cunning enemy. 2 Thessalonians 2:9. as many, overly credulous: Would that this danger were not daily realized, to the great detriment of souls! For men today believe so many useless and dangerous things that they utterly forget what is necessary.

[10] But to return whence I digressed: I say that mental prayer was indeed supremely commended by this Virgin, she commends vocal prayer, yet in such a way that she did not condemn what is called vocal prayer; indeed, she praised it greatly -- namely, that which the Church herself chiefly uses. She said, moreover, that we can by no means become superior to the devil unless we keep our mind continually fixed upon God and dependent upon Him, and union with God; just as iron is wont to hang from a magnet; and that deprived of this union and suspension with God, we would immediately relapse into idle thoughts, from which we would soon be swept away to pernicious ones. Wherefore every effort should be made so that our minds, drawn away from earthly things, may dwell on high, and all our actions be touched with ardent desires toward God, so much so that prayer always precede, accompany, and instruct us. she is seen with a shining head and face: And she could rightly teach these things, since her soul was so greatly rapt into God that she was never not united with Him. Hence her disciple often found her head and face shining with such extraordinary splendor that she could not fix her eyes upon her, however much she wished. Thus the clarity of the soul, from the continual contemplation of God, overflowed into the body itself. The natural faculties of her body were so subjugated she eats reluctantly: that, for many years deprived of all taste and appetite for eating, she approached food with as much distaste as if it were medicine; and she was chiefly driven to this by the fear that she might bring death upon herself. Although she desired death, she did not wish to hasten it, always conforming herself to the divine will, which wished her life to be prolonged for the salvation of others. For whoever is truly Christian considers that one must live and die not for oneself but for God and for one's neighbor.

[11] This, in my judgment, seems sufficient to give everyone confidence in the holiness of this Virgin. It only remains that we treat of her miracles, although her entire life may be regarded as one continuous miracle. But it commonly happens that only those things are reckoned among miracles which are demonstrated by exterior graces; although this very gift, if it be not joined with holiness of life, will be like that grace which Christ says in the Gospel those possessed who will ask, "Did we not do many mighty works in your name?" to whom He will also respond: "Depart from me, for I never knew you." Matthew 7:22-23. Now if I wished to gather all her miracles, I should certainly exceed the bounds of the brevity I have promised. She obtains health from God for many: For she obtained bodily health for countless persons; and there is even now alive one who was present when an energumen was brought to her, tied to a cart, driven to such fury and rage that he could not be held or restrained even by many men. She frees a demoniac: She then boldly seized him by the hand, commanding the demon by the power of Jesus Christ to depart at once from the possessed body; and the demon, obeying the command, immediately abandoned the wretched man, who lives to this day, healthy and free from his unwelcome and wicked guest.

[12] She heals a boy with dropsy: On another occasion, when she had touched a boy suffering from dropsy, with this prayer: "May God restore your health, my son," health was immediately restored to the boy, who still survives.

[13] That disciple of whom we spoke above had a boy whose shins were so distorted and miserably afflicted from birth a boy with distorted limbs partly cured. that he could neither stand on them nor move about except by crawling on the ground. Moved by compassion, when the boy's mother was present, she said: "Arise, Leo" (for that was his name), "and stand on your feet." And he immediately raised himself, though not perfectly healed. To whom she said again: "This suffices for me, my son; for I would not have the honor of your restored health ascribed to me, she sends him to an image of the Blessed Virgin to be completely cured: but wish it to be entirely referred to the Mother of God." Then at her command, two supports having been made, she arranged for the boy to be led by his mother to a certain image of the Mother of God, at that time famous for many miracles; whence not long after, having left the supports there, he returned home completely well. He was afterward ordained to the priesthood, and after a praiseworthy life, died about seven years ago.

[14] Though blind, she visits churches without a guide: This Virgin was frequently seen to visit churches alone and without a companion or guide, just as if she had frequented them her entire life; which leads me to believe that, although deprived of her eyes, she nonetheless saw what she wished. She prophesied many things long before they came to pass, which have now occurred; she predicts many things; among which is the sacking and plundering of Ravenna. As for the rest, we still await their fulfillment -- namely, the reformation of the Church and even the overthrow of Islam: and the overthrow of the Mohammedan sect, which she said would come as soon as Christians agreed rightly among themselves; to which end she herself poured forth frequent prayers to God and enjoined them upon her spiritual disciples. And she declared that these prayers, offered by the united will of all, would without doubt soon obtain the glory of God and the salvation of souls that she sought.

[15] By divine revelation she also instituted a congregation bearing the title of the Good Jesus, whose rules and manner of life I shall shortly describe. And she promised never to cease praying to God for it and for all those who commended themselves to her prayers. She institutes the Congregation of the Good Jesus. That this was true was experienced by those who placed their trust in her promises. For in overcoming vices and in acquiring virtues she brought singular help to them all.

CHAPTER III.

Her death and burial.

[16] At 63 years of age, full of confidence, she dies. At last, full of triumphs, having reached her sixty-third year and her presence being now required for the adornment of heaven, she reached the point where she was close to her final breath. Wherefore, lying on her bed, showing in her countenance -- contrary to the custom of the dying -- a wonderful confidence, having made the sign of the Cross, and wishing to imitate her Spouse, she uttered these last words: "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." Having spoken these words, she sought heaven together with Him whom she had always loved. On the following day, when the body was to be committed to the earth, The body the next day is suffused with a most fragrant sweat: they found it sprinkled with a certain sweat resembling dew, which, when wiped away by the disciple with a cloth, and afterward dried at the fire, excited such a fragrance of violets that the whole house was filled with it, and the odor itself remained fresh in the linen for many years. She died on January 23.

[17] Perhaps someone will wonder that God did not adorn the death of His most pure and most loving spouse with as many miracles as He customarily does with some others. This would astonish me too, did I not know that the time has already come of which Christ said that men, in persecuting Saints, would think they were doing a service to God -- as was also evident in Christ Himself, who, according to Matthew, did not perform very many wonders among His own because of their little faith, since they were more deserving of eternal punishments her tomb was disturbed: than of heavenly gifts. Matthew 13:58. In similar fashion, this woman was despised by many, so much so that even after death her tomb, which had been assigned to her as a humble one, was wickedly disturbed and broken, when it ought to have been devoutly venerated. A truly inhuman and cruel deed. She was deemed unworthy, forsooth, of that final honor which is granted to any soldiers, to usurers, to impostors, and to everyone. But how greatly this displeased God was demonstrated shortly afterward. For scarcely a month after this impiety, war broke out, this city fell to the French as plunder, The body was carried elsewhere. and was filled with corpses. Whence her sacred body was secretly taken away and transported elsewhere -- to what land, only those who were present know.

[18] If perhaps it offends some that she was always so greatly harassed, even without cause, certainly to others Why she was always persecuted. who knew her innocence this was a most certain indication of her holiness. For to displease the wicked, who constitute the greater part of mankind, is no less a sign of goodness than to please the few who are good. Moreover, what she was throughout the entire course of her life, time will one day make manifest, as we have seen in the case of other Saints. Today, indeed, whoever seek anything from God through her merits, having immediately obtained their wish, can clearly testify how they have gained what they desired. Thus far, then, I have gathered a few ears, as it were, from the vast field of this Virgin's life. I have deliberately passed over many things, since not everything seemed fit to be committed to writing at this time. I confess that I was unworthy to know other, more divine things, because I could have understood them less well. Many things have also slipped from the memory of men with the passage of time, especially since out of her modesty she did not wish anything praiseworthy about herself to be written.

(a) Rossi indicates this below.

Some rules collected from the teachings of Margaret, Virgin of Ravenna, by which she instituted her Order, bearing the title of the Good Jesus. Collected by Seraphinus Firmanus, rendered into Latin by Philip Zoutaeus, S.J.

Margaret, Virgin at Ravenna in Italy.

From the Italian of Seraphinus Firmanus.

I. When anyone desires to be admitted to this Society, let his words be carefully weighed, along with the end he intends; but let no one in any way be invited to undertake this life, Simplicity in admitting members. nor let much discourse be made about it. If, however, one who is about to enter is found to inquire about many things with curiosity, he is to be deemed less fit for this order, because he lacks the faith and simplicity which are the very foundations of divine things, so that without them all other teachings are applied in vain.

Prayers to be said by those admitted. II. When anyone has been admitted, let him immediately say with devotion five times the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic Salutation, and let him promise a change of life, so that this renewal may begin from the sacred wounds of Christ, in reverence for which this prayer is recited five times.

General confession. III. Let him make a general confession of his entire past life, in which he should strive with all his power to attain contrition and to make satisfaction to those to whom he knows himself to be obligated, especially if he has made any reasonable vow to God or to the Saints.

Daily meditation. IV. Let him apply himself diligently to prayer, especially mental prayer, and each day let him recollect himself for some time in some interior exercise -- now meditating on the Passion of Christ, now on death, now on the punishments of hell, now on the glory of the heavenly Paradise. And even if he experiences much difficulty in this exercise at the beginning, he should not on that account cease, but endure all things for the honor of God, without whose difficulties no one can arrive at Him.

Frequent communion and confession. V. Let him approach the divine table frequently, although this rule does not apply to all in the same way, but according to each person's faith and ardent desire. Wherefore some will do well to frequent this divine banquet every month, or even more often, according to their disposition; others even every two months. But all must receive this Sacrament at least four times a year, if they wish to be members of this Society. As for confession, no fixed rule is prescribed, since the more frequently it is made, the more it conduces to the salvation of souls, especially so that we may not persist in our sins.

Hypocrisy to be avoided. VI. Let all avoid hypocrisy and singularity, and let them not strive to appear good, but to be so. This they will easily accomplish if they refer everything they do to the honor of God and the salvation of souls, and not to their own glory.

Vain conversations to be avoided. VII. Let all avoid idle conversations -- namely, those which serve neither our own nor others' progress -- especially those in which the faults of one's neighbor are reported. Nor should they delight in hearing news or jests, since he who does not know how to bridle his tongue labors in vain in the way of God. This teaching must be considered very carefully, since most people, indeed nearly all, are hindered by this vice from aspiring to perfection.

Rash judgments. VIII. Let them always interpret everything in the best light, judging no one in heart or mouth. But if they see anything sinful done by another, let them try in some way to deceive their senses, or at least to diminish the fault by ascribing the entire cause to the devil, and considering their own weakness, by which, if tempted in the same way, they might perhaps have fallen more shamefully. A divine teaching, indeed, but observed by few. Which is also the reason that we never gain a perfect victory over our sins. For we are accustomed to be indignant about the faults of others. We shall then overcome our sins with divine help when compassion for our neighbor moves us.

Vainglory. IX. Let them flee vainglory with every effort, for just as a worm born from wheat gnaws at the wheat itself and eventually corrupts the whole, so vainglory, born from virtues and good works, corrupts those very things. Therefore, when we fight against this vice, our own sins should be recalled to memory; on the contrary, all good works should be consigned to oblivion, as full of filth and unworthy to be offered to the eyes of God, but rather worthy of punishment if God should judge us more strictly according to the rigor of His justice.

X. Let all strive with all their strength to flee evil thoughts, Evil thoughts. because they render us most hateful and abominable to God, who refuses to dwell in an unclean heart, but only in one that is tranquil and composed. Therefore, those who entangle their mind in wicked thoughts truly carry the punishments of hell continuously within themselves, and are full of bitterness and spiritual disgust, and so are attacked by two demons, namely sloth and lust. Whence at last they cease to conquer and even cast away the hope of their salvation. The remedies for these things are proposed in the following rules.

Thoughts to be manifested to a spiritual Father. XI. All their thoughts should be manifested to a spiritual Father. For by this means the devil loses his strength; moreover, it is a singular gift of God to be guided in the way of virtues by a good director. And even if they may not have found one entirely to their liking, they should nevertheless not abandon the use of this remedy, at least in confession, since the power of that Sacrament will supply what is otherwise lacking.

XII. Let them place all their hope and confidence not in friends or relatives All things to be referred to God. or any other thing of this world, but in God alone, to whose honor all our love should be directed. By this means a guide will never be lacking to us; indeed, we shall rightly use human means so that we shall neither grieve at their lack nor rejoice overmuch at their abundance.

Adversities to be borne. XIII. Let them take it well if they are rebuked by anyone, and let them neither excuse themselves nor shun afflictions, nor those things which are considered adverse, such as mockeries and contempt, even when they have acted rightly. For otherwise we shall never gain a victory over ourselves by fleeing; rather, we shall always carry about with us our disordered impulses, to be afflicted daily with ever greater trouble. Not to be sought out. I would not wish, however, that anyone should deliberately seek out a fight for himself, but if one is offered, let him endure it with a brave spirit; because he who seeks it out of set purpose seems to presume too much upon himself, as if victory were in his own hands. Which fervor is not sufficiently prudent, nor is it free from arrogance; wherefore it must be kept within the limits of humble discretion.

XIV. Let the things about which one has been admonished be carefully pondered in the mind, Admonitions to be received with a grateful spirit. and let it not be permitted that the result be compared to seed which, because it fell upon rock, cannot take root and therefore withers; but let the effort be made to obey one's Superiors always, and not to reject any admonition, even the harshest; rather, let it be borne with an even spirit, especially if one desires to begin well. For it is not hard to be of tranquil mind when nothing is opposed to us; but when we are overwhelmed on all sides, as it were in a moment of time, with infinite evils, then it is easy to see whether we are true or counterfeit gold. In this single teaching is contained all the profit of the spiritual life, because the greater part of men wish to obtain the crown without a prior combat, which God, however, will not give except to him who, armed with patience, has fought the good fight.

One must be content with one's own state. XV. They must be content with the state to which they have been called. If to marriage, let them observe what befits that manner of life. If anyone lives in virginity or the priesthood, let him not desire to be elevated higher, nor devote himself to the accumulation of ecclesiastical benefices or revenues, but to fervor and virtues. Let such a one also flee lies, jests, and trifles, and not inquire into the manners or deeds of others; but let him obey his Superiors and, like the sun, give light to all by the example of his good works.

To be observed by a virgin. XVI. She who is a virgin should be humble and chaste, not only in body but also in mind and thought. She who is a widow should strive for the same, and should flee like poison new rumors and detraction. She who is joined in marriage by a widow, should always foster and preserve peace, and in all things comply with the will of her husband, by a married woman. yet in such a way that she commit nothing contrary to God.

Wicked inclinations to be overcome: XVII. Let them strive with all effort to conquer disordered movements of the soul; for it would be better to suppress some passion -- for instance, of anger, indignation, or desire -- than to scourge oneself forty times or to fast for an entire year. It would likewise be better to go to a funeral than to a banquet, since in such assemblies, occasions to be avoided. unless God almost miraculously provides, we are wont to sin either by tongue or by hearing; for it happens that he who does not flee the occasion of sin falls into sin.

Wicked company to be avoided: XVIII. Let them shun the evil customs and company of others, unless perhaps necessity or charity should counsel otherwise; nor let anyone plead the title of friendship or kinship, since the law of justice commands that God be loved and honored above all.

And curiosity. XIX. Let them first learn to govern and rightly moderate themselves, so as to be afterward more fit to govern others; nor let them curiously investigate the errors and vices of their neighbor, or desire to know everything, since this curiosity is very harmful to our soul. For the more one desires to see, the less one usually sees; and he who desires to speak rightly becomes mute; and he who desires to know much becomes ignorant; and he who strives to make himself great often becomes small; and finally, he who wishes to be wise becomes utterly foolish.

All things to be done out of love of God. XX. Let them do all things out of love of God, and strive to please Him alone. With this intention and end let them approach prayer; with this let them take food and sleep; with this, finally, let them attend to all their affairs. For with this alone they can merit as much with God in all things as, on the contrary, the impious can demerit. O how blessed we would be if, always endowed with and, as it were, bound by such a mind, we would never move either our eyes or our hand for any other purpose! At the same time I say that we should do nothing out of fear of hell, or desire for heavenly happiness, or for the sake of any other thing (although these are not evil ends), but that it should be counted as a special grace to be able to do something out of love for so great a God, being unworthy of every other grace. And this is a most useful secret for the devout soul.

All things to be ascribed to God. XXI. Let us all be persuaded that we have no goods of soul or body from ourselves; therefore all good things should be ascribed to the divine goodness, or to the merits of the Saints; by which means we shall keep ourselves free from all pride and vainglory.

There is no turning back. XXII. One must never turn back on the path of perfection, nor must one abstain from any well-begun work through fear of the world or temptation of the devil; because this regression is so dangerous in this Society that I have seen few, when they had thus fallen away, return to themselves through repentance -- so much so that it would have been far better for them not to have known the way of truth than to have departed from it once known.

One must think well of all. XXIII. Let them think well of all, and pray for all, especially for calumniators and adversaries, wishing them every good that pertains to soul and body, and counting themselves as nothing. And let them do this in deed rather than in words. Nor should they ever reveal their virtues (for virtues once disclosed often perish), nor say much or promise anything that, coming from themselves, could be good -- recognizing that every good is greater than their own powers, and that they can glory in nothing as their own.

Fasts. XXIV. Let them fast on all vigils instituted by the Church, on the Ember Days, in Advent, in Lent, and on all Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays throughout the year. Prayers for the deceased. If a vigil falls in the week, the Wednesday may be omitted if two days of fasting cannot be observed. If anyone from this Society dies, let all Priests offer the sacrifice of the Mass for his soul, and let the others recite one hundred times the Our Father and Hail Mary; yet in such a way that those who cannot fulfill this do not sin. In the same manner, let all who can recite twenty-five times the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic Salutation each day of Advent. And other prayers. Likewise, it will be expedient to recite five times the aforesaid Lord's Prayer and Angelic Salutation each day from the beginning of Lent until Palm Sunday, in memory of the crown of thorns of Christ. On Palm Sunday, forty times, in honor of the forty days which Christ fasted in the desert; on Monday, fifteen times; on Tuesday, thirty-three times, in honor of the age of Christ; on Wednesday, thirty times, in memory of the coins for which He was sold; on Thursday, twelve times, in honor of the Apostles; on Friday, five times, in honor of His wounds; on Saturday, one hundred Hail Marys, in honor of the Mother of God. On Easter Sunday, let them say five times, standing, the Angelic Salutation, as a sign of joy at the Lord's resurrection, and let them also hold a burning candle in their hand. On Good Friday and on the vigil of the Annunciation, let them fast on bread and water. Those who observe these things should know that they merit; but those who cannot observe them should know that they do not sin.

I have collected these rules from the words of this divine Virgin; which, although they may perhaps seem difficult to observe, one should consider that through them the devotion of the Saints is obtained, so that by their merits the way of virtues is made easier. Let each one, therefore, receive them according to his capacity, and let him conceive that faith by which all things will become easy for him. Amen.

ANOTHER LIFE

By Girolamo Rossi, Book 8 of his History of Ravenna.

Margaret, Virgin at Ravenna in Italy.

From Girolamo Rossi.

[1] When Julius II presided over the Church of God and Maximilian was Emperor, Margaret, a Virgin celebrated for holiness and innocence of life, died at Ravenna. Margaret's homeland, family. She was born in the town of Russi, which belongs to the territory of Ravenna, formerly called Lungipressum, about ten miles from the city, of the Molli family; and from her very cradle she had given evidence of holiness. At three months she was made blind; and when she had reached her seventh year, abstinence and other austerity from an early age; abstaining from meat and eggs, except on Sundays and feast days, she ate only once a day. This manner of living she not only maintained throughout her entire life, but for the greater part subsisted on bread and water alone. This can seem all the harder, since she always walked with bare feet, and never slept in a bed but either on the ground or on bundles of twigs; and very often at night, to pray to God on her knees and also to wrestle with the demon combat with the demon, -- who was troublesome to her and sometimes dragged her by the hair -- she rose constantly from her bed, if that could be called a bed.

[2] After she had lived for some years in that town, she betook herself to the countryside, to the estate of St. Pancratius, taking great delight in the company of young Virgins, whom she continually taught the divine precepts and the right way of living. Thence she went to Ravenna, illnesses, where she lived first among the sacred Virgins of St. Stephen, and then in a house which Laurence Oriolus, a very wealthy farmer and her disciple, had purchased for her. There, for fourteen years she was continuously and most grievously afflicted with the most serious diseases, especially since her holiness and her illness were also mocked by many, mockeries; and her name was torn by many calumnies. She was an illustrious example of patience; yet she admonished those very mockers and slanderers, if she could, lovingly, to desist, for they were heaping sins upon themselves. Or, if this was not possible, she constantly and assiduously prayed to God for their pardon. her patience amid all this, And what seemed altogether admirable was that amid so many diseases, calumnies, and poverty, by which she was always most greatly oppressed, she always maintained a cheerful countenance and a tranquil spirit, and was so free from all indignation that no one was ever found who had seen her disturbed.

[3] Yet this dark storm of so many miseries could not suppress the light of her holiness so as to prevent it from shining forth. Her teaching of virtue. For very many, depending upon her words and precepts, called her their Teacher, because she stirred them to piety and the true worship of God by the examples of her most holy life rather than by words. In her, among all other virtues, mercy toward those who sinned and kindness shone most brightly; nor was there ever anyone who, the efficacy of her words, by the admirable virtue of her words and her exhortation, did not feel himself consoled and almost refreshed in his miseries, and made cheerful, and recalled from his sins and from the path of perdition. Although this happened very often, it was most especially seen in a noblewoman who, moved by the fame of her holiness, had come to her, adorned with much gold and elegant ornaments. God bestowed such power on Margaret's speech a matron converted by her: that the noblewoman, having laid aside all her adornment before she departed from her, devoted herself entirely to God.

[4] When, however, she was traveling to Rimini, and the entire populace together with the clergy had come out to meet her her flight from honor, and called her a holy woman and venerated her, it is not easy to say how greatly she bore this with displeasure. And when, compelled by their unceasing prayers, she had blessed them, she immediately flew back to Ravenna, having finished the divine business for which she had come, her prophecies, fleeing mortal honors. There she prophesied many things by divine revelation, especially the devastation of the city which the French carried out in the following years. And, to pass over the rest, I will record this one thing: that when Gentile, a woman most dear to her, had once come to her to consult her, and yet could not, because she found her speaking with God, nevertheless from Margaret's words, the secrets of the heart known, which she had turned to Gentile in the same conversation, Gentile knew that Margaret, by God's indication, had perceived the feeling and desire of her soul for which she had come; and, with those present not at all perceiving it, had given her counsel through a hidden meaning in her words.

[5] The splendor of her face. Her face was sometimes seen by the same Gentile to shine so brightly that she could not look upon her directly. She was endowed with such a stupor of the senses that for many years, not perceiving the sweetness of food, she ate only with the greatest difficulty, solely to avoid dying. Demoniacs healed. Those agitated by an evil spirit, whom ten men could hardly restrain and control, she seized by the hand, and they offered no resistance; by divine power, having commanded the demon to depart, she freed them. A boy with dropsy healed. She restored to health a boy suffering from dropsy by the mere touch of her hand, when she had prayed to God for his recovery. She healed Leo, the son of Gentile, who had been born with distorted feet so that he could not walk.

[6] And others. But if I wished to narrate such things, the account would be drawn out far too long; for they are more amply available in the accounts of those witnesses who, by order of Pope Paul III, at the request of Federico Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, at Ravenna, when an inquiry was held on these matters by Giovanni Francesco Petitto, Governor of the city, The miracles examined. related these things that we have just mentioned, and many more besides, under oath, in the year 1537; with Pietro Andriolo, Roberto Aldrouandino, Ubertello Gordio, Giovanni Franco, Marc'Antonio da Porto, and Luigi Pritello, who then held the office of Sages of the Ravennate Magistracy, overseeing the proceedings.

[7] But I shall not pass over in silence what Antonio Bianchini of Russi reports: A sick woman healed. that his wife, suffering for eight days from a disease of the lower intestine, in which the fecal matter moved upward -- a condition considered fatal by the physicians -- was immediately restored to health when this Virgin prayed to God for her recovery. Sight restored to a blind man. Also Barnaba, uncle of Pasqua of Ravenna, who had been the wife of Luigi Merlini, having gone blind, was restored to sight.

[8] When at last she had fallen into a slight fever at the age of sixty-three, sensing her death, she spoke at length about divine matters; and when she had reached her end, she rose up Death in the presence of the Saints. and breathed forth her soul. And they say that Gentile was accustomed to testify that at that moment she saw the heavenly Saints, who had come to receive the soul of her teacher as it departed from the body; and for that reason she herself rose reverently at the last moment. This was the year from the birth of Christ fifteen hundred and five, on the tenth of the Kalends of February. For two days the sacred body was kept unburied; A sweet sweat from the lifeless body. during which time, as the face grew moist with sweat as if with dew, and Gentile, the constant companion of her teacher, wiped it with a handkerchief used for wiping the nose, the handkerchief, dried at the fire, gave off a most sweet fragrance of violets, which remained in the same handkerchief for many years afterward.

[9] She was buried at Ravenna in the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, in a rather humble tomb. When in later years this tomb was destroyed, Laurence Oriolus, who had profited greatly from her company and counsels and most greatly venerated her, thinking that this had happened because the Virgin had chosen another place for her burial, The body carried elsewhere, not without the appearance of a miracle. obtained permission from the custodians of the church, and placed the bones with the greatest reverence in a sack, loaded it upon a donkey, and prayed to God and to that Virgin that they would command the donkey to go where she wished to be buried. The donkey, urged by no noise or signal, proceeded straight through the street called the Piazza Maggiore to the city walls, and turning to the right, passed through the Ursicina gate as the sun was setting. Thence through the suburb, along the river Viti, having gone a short distance, it crossed the river at the second milestone from the city, and, with Laurence continually protesting to no avail but contemplating the mystery with immense reverence and wonder, pressing forward until it reached the river Montone, it also crossed that not far from San Marco, and took the road along the river. The beginning of this journey brought no small joy to the pious man, who was silently considering the matter, because he thought it likely that the body would be carried to the little church of his own people, since the road led not far from it. But when they arrived there, the donkey did not stop; rather, it proceeded and made its way to San Pancrazio. By now much of the night had passed, and under a rather large tree not far from the doors of that church, a great number of fireflies had gathered, which brought so much light that it could easily have been judged a miracle. The donkey made its way to this place, and when it stopped there, it took not another step. The pious man, understanding from this that the holy Virgin had chosen that place for her burial, dug a pit, arranged the bones in a grave, and covered them with earth. And immediately, as the fireflies vanished, the dead of night spread its darkness.

[10] Miracles after death. Many wondrous things have been obtained in later times, down to this day, through vows made to her -- which it is not our purpose to relate, since Seraphinus Firmanus, a Lateran Canon and also Canon of Porto, a man outstanding in eloquence, learning, and integrity of life, has expressed them more fully in the small treatise he wrote on the life of this Virgin and of Gentile.

(a) Julius II held the papacy from October 31, 1503, to February 21, 1513.

(b) Maximilian I succeeded his father Frederick II in the empire toward the end of the year 1493; he died on January 12, 1519.

(c) Seraphinus narrates this somewhat differently above.