A daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary, she was raised from childhood in a Dominican convent. Refusing royal marriage, she gladly took on the lowliest tasks and cared for the sick in a life of humility and penance.
Life
Saint Margaret of Hungary was born in 1242, a daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. When the country was suffering greatly from the Mongol invasion, her parents promised that if the nation were saved, they would offer their coming child to God. In keeping with that vow, Margaret was raised from early childhood in a Dominican convent.
She lived in a convent on an island in the Danube in what is now Budapest, refusing several proposals of political marriage in order to remain a nun. Though a princess, she took the lowliest tasks, cared for the sick, and devoted herself to strict penance and prayer. She died young in 1270 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1943.
Spirituality
Margaret's spirituality is a radical humility that set aside high rank. She declined everything a princess might enjoy and gladly took the hardest chores and the care of the sick. Embracing her parents' vow for the nation as her own offering, her life became a sacrifice of prayer and penance.
Reflection
Margaret, a princess, gladly took the lowliest work. Why not quietly be the first today to take on a task in your family or community that no one else wants to do?