As a daughter of the stigmatized saint of Mount Alverna, Margaret had soon understood that she could wash the robe of her innocence only in the Blood of the Lamb. And as she knew that for her the source of life was in the sufferings and death of Our Lord, she had an intense devotion to His sorrowful Passion.

She longed to be able to experience in herself the sufferings of her crucified Jesus. And she also asked the Blessed Virgin, the Queen of Martyrs at the foot of the Cross, to let her share her pain.

One Friday she was directed to go to the Franciscan church and there to see and experience what Mary herself had suffered.

She notified her confessor of the favor that was going to be granted to her and asked him not to leave.

After the conventual mass Margaret became utterly absorbed in God and witnessed in vision all the circumstances of the Passion. In a few words she described the Mystery she was seeing, and at the same time the suffering that came over her was evident. The intensity of her pain made her grind her teeth and twist about like a worm. Her complexion became ashen; her pulse stopped. At the end she lay on the floor, speechless and cold as marble.

The report of this extraordinary event spread rapidly. The people of Cortona crowded into the church and made the structure reecho with their weeping. In her trance Margaret was not aware of them.

About three o'clock in the afternoon, when she was spiritually present at that terrifying moment when Jesus bowed His head and committed His soul to His Father, Margaret's head sank upon her chest, and she seemed really dead. She remained in this condition until Vespers, in the presence of the religious and the weeping crowd of the faithful.

At the hour of Vespers she arose, looking radiant and as though she had risen from the dead with Christ! She lifted her eyes joyfully to Heaven and thanked God for such a marvelous grace.

Then, coming out of her ecstasy, like another Mary Magdalene she still sought for her Savior, asking those whom she met for Him. Going home, she shut her door, and without taking any food she began to weep and cry out:

"O my Love! O sweet Jesus, who has hidden You from my love? My only good, where have You fled? O Jesus, my joy, where shall I seek You? I cannot live without You — do not conceal Yourself from me any longer, You who are the delight of my life, You Who sweetly refresh my burning heart!"

She continued thus to sigh and weep until Monday, when Our Lord appeared to her and talked with her and consoled her.

Margaret experienced these sufferings of Calvary more than once. Jesus, Who accepted His faithful servant's sufferings, wanted her to be not only the victim but also the apostle of His Passion. Therefore He said to her:

"Formerly you used to read the account of My Passion out loud, and you would give way to your tears and pain. Now, out of fear of those who criticize and who rashly attribute your suffering and tears to pride, you are forcing yourself to remain completely silent. Take care not to remain silent about My Passion on account of the empty talk of worldly persons . . . Since you desire to please only Me, your Creator and Redeemer, why should you not read the narrative of My Passion with those sobs and groans that bring you grace and forgiveness?"

Margaret yielded to this divine warning, and henceforth she wept aloud and in public over Christ's Passion, crying out as she contemplated each of His tortures:

"O my Lord, it was the power of Your Love that drove you to that!"

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