By Susan Ciancio
In his book A Biblical Walk through the Mass, Catholic author, speaker, and theologian Dr. Edward Sri explains that “Christianity is ultimately about the imitatio Christi—the imitation of Christ.” He continues, “It is not enough to avoid breaking the rules. We must learn to love like Jesus. We must put on Christ and his virtues. . . . Jesus does not want us merely to avoid sin; he wants us to grow in his self-giving love.”
That self-giving love is evident in the lives of saints, which is why we are given them to emulate. And on January 12, we celebrate the life of a woman who had a beautiful understanding of this self-giving love. St. Marguerite Bourgeoys was a 17th century French missionary who risked her life to educate native people and settlers in Canada.
Marguerite was born to a French middle-class family in 1620. At the age of twenty, she attended a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and feeling the statue of Mary gaze at her with love, she felt a compelling connection with her. She decided then to dedicate her life to God and to emulate our Blessed Mother.
Marguerite soon joined the Congregation of Notre Dame, a religious community of sisters whose mission was to educate the children of poor families. She eventually became the leader of this community, and at the age of thirty-three, she traveled to Canada to grow this ministry. She and her fellow sisters encountered much adversity, but they built schools and educated children. According to reports, “Marguerite believed that education in the faith, in literacy and in the life skills were the most important building blocks for survival. She created a community that reflected that spirit of the Visitation of Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist.”
Education in faith is indeed one of the most important building blocks we need in life, and it’s an incredible gift that we can and should give to our children. Why is this so? Without our faith, we have nothing. Without our faith, we feel lost, isolated, purposeless, and alone. Sure, we may have moments when we feel happy or content, but those feelings don’t last. What lasts is our faith because, if we live life well and according to the laws of Christ, we can live for eternity with Him.
As parents, it is our responsibility to pass along our faith to our children. We do this from the time they are small. Like Marguerite, we become teachers. Indeed, we are our children’s first teachers. But it’s not enough to talk to them about our faith. We must live it in every instance. And that is what Dr. Sri meant when he said we must grow in self-giving love.
How can we emulate the saints and live this self-giving love? We look around at the needs of those in our families, in our communities, and in our parishes, and we take steps to fill those needs. We live out the Corporal Works of Mercy by visiting the sick or imprisoned, feeding and clothing the hungry, and sheltering the homeless. We learn to love by giving of ourselves to make someone’s life better. This is what God wants us to do. This is how He wants us to live. For it is not truly Christian living if we live only for ourselves. That is just existence.
Christian living requires us to care for others, to teach them about God, to bring them closer to Him. And of course that starts with our children.
Marguerite “created a community that reflected that spirit of the Visitation of Mary,” meaning she looked at the love Mary had for the baby growing inside her, and she sought to pass that love and reverence for human life along to others. She knew the immense gift that Mary carried, but she also understood that all human beings are gifts from God and that we must cherish them and cultivate their faith. That is why she taught children; she longed to bring them closer to God and to nourish their souls.
So as we prepare to celebrate her feast day, let us look to Marguerite’s life for inspiration for how to live our own lives. And knowing that we have nothing if we don’t have God, let us resolve to prioritize religious education for our children and to give of ourselves to not just them but to all around us.