Today we read about an amazing martyr. St Margaret Clitherow was raised Protestant, but she became Catholic as an adult, probably through the influence of her brother-in-law. She fell in love with Jesus and the mass, and hid priests in her home. Her husband "tolerated" her Catholicism, even though it might mean his death. Her neighbors loved and respected her so much that they refused to tell the government what she was doing, hiding priests and celebrating mass in her home.
She was eventually caught and offered the chance to recant her Catholic faith. She refused, and didn't even ask for a trial so that her friends wouldn't have to witness against her. She was sentenced to be crushed by the weight of rocks. A door was placed over her and more and more rocks were added until it crushed her to death. It took about fifteen minutes.
Her sons became priests and her daughter became a nun. You can read more about her here.
She is an inspiration to us today. She faced serious persecution, which makes the inconveniences we Christians face in America seem like nothing. She taught us what it means to put your life on the line for what you believe.
God, thanks for the powerful example of this young martyr. Saint Margaret Clitherow, pray for us.
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