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CHAPTER I.
BIRTH; EARLY LIFE. "God hath chosen her and forechosen her." — DIVINE OFFICE OF THE CHURCH.
Sister Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart was born at Arezzo, a very ancient city in Tuscany, on the 15th of July, 1747, eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Providence willed her to be born of a family as noble as it was pious. Her father, the Chevalier Ignatius Redi, an accomplished gentleman, was the son of the celebrated poet of that name; her mother, Camilla Ballati, belonged to the highest nobility of Siena. As Saint Jerome acted regarding St. Paula, we refer in passing to the illustrious origin of our Venerable Margaret, in order that seeing on the one side all that which so attracts nature, we at the same time witness the power of grace, which causes one to despise these idols and trample them under foot.
She received in holy baptism the names Anna Maria. Gifted with a predestined soul, naturally pious, with an upright mind and throughout life, of childlike sincerity, docile, calm and thoughtful — everything in her character was perfectly balanced. Exteriorly she was charmingly graceful, with a modest beauty which revealed the treasure hidden in her heart.
She was scarcely five years old when there was a manifestation of the germs of piety sown in her soul by her virtuous parents; and no doubt cultivated by her guardian angel, towards whom she never ceased to cherish a very special devotion. Anna Maria felt the necessity of loving God in proportion as her intelligence increased. The Reverend Ildefonso of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Discalced Carmelite, a religious of great virtue, and a man of much distinction, questioning her in after years, asked whether she had turned to God by offering Him from the dawn of reason the homage of her gratitude and love. Her answer was: "Why, everyone does that." May it be thus and may we be able to say with her: "Jesus knows well that since my infancy, never have I had any other desire than to please Him, and to become a Saint." Assuredly the Divine Master was not ignorant that this pure soul aspired only to Him, He who had thus begun from her earliest years, silently to attract and draw her to His divine Heart.
Her parents saw with joy her tender piety and recollected manner. Anna Maria loved solitude, prayed in secret, had no regard for worldly amusements. What delighted those who knew this lovely child was her inquiring spirit. The childhood of St. Thomas Aquinas was here seen renewed. Like him, she eagerly asked, "Who is God?" "Where is that God who is so great?" then continuing to question she sought to learn what must be done to please Him. If God was spoken of, mention made of the Passion of our Savior or examples of the Saints, her eyes were fixed so attentively upon the speaker, her heart manifested such affectionate and intense joy, that all were moved to admiration.
She was not yet seven years of age when she had already learned to rise to God by means of creatures; she heard the mute language of the stars, plants and flowers inviting her to admire His greatness, His love and His infinite goodness. One of her aunts, a worthy lady, was never tired of admiring in this six-year-old child an extraordinary equanimity of soul and strength of virtue in the midst of the little contradictions of her time of life. Taking pleasure in watching her, very often she surprised her with eyes lifted towards Heaven, motionless, as befits one who meditates upon the greatness of God, and speaks to Him in the secrecy of her heart.
Every one can understand what intense horror such a beautiful soul would have for sin, even for the very shadow of evil.
She had the incomparable happiness at the end of her life to present to Jesus her lily of innocence, as bright as she had received it in baptism. Such is the testimony of her confessors, who have made known their hesitation to give absolution for lack of finding even a slight deliberate fault. At the age of seven years Anna Maria commenced approaching the Sacrament of Penance. Frequently her sentiments of contrition were then so intense that her father, on hearing her recite it was surprised and touched, as were her confessors. Later this extreme horror of all faults was manifested in a more striking manner. One day after becoming a religious, Anna Maria, hearing of the committing of a grievous fault, cried out: "Is it possible that our God, who is so good, should be so offended?" and then she swooned away.
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