Jesus Had Come to Her Bedside

By Gianna B.

In the course of the year, we had found out Margareta was pregnant. This was her fifth child: one of them miscarried, and the rest have been adopted or are living at the children’s home. They are taken from her because she is unable to take care of them with her handicap, and this separation is very hard for her. 

The weeks after finding out Margareta was pregnant were some of the hardest, yet also the most beautiful. She came alive as a mother, towards her child but also towards us. We went with her to her doctor’s appointments, she took naps on our coach, and as we gathered around her, she reminded us over and over again to take care of ourselves – it broke our hearts to realize how she has been taken advantage of. She cried about how hard life is and we cried with her. She took pride and joy in eating well to take care of her child and let us feel him when he kicked.

When finally the day of the birth arrived, there were complications and they had to do an urgent C-section, but it was too late, and the child passed away and was still-born. We waited outside the delivery room, waiting, worrying, saying rosary after rosary, and all we could do was pray. When we came to visit her, she told us with childlike faith that, that morning, Jesus had come to her bedside and told her that He was waiting for her together with her children at the gate of heaven. 

Margareta named her child Emanuel, and the name couldn’t have been more fitting. Like the true Emmanuel, he was completely innocent and pure and didn’t deserve to suffer like he did, and his mother didn’t deserve to suffer like she did. He died, but his life was clearly not in vain. I got to witness the outpouring of love he created. The love of Margareta for him, our love for him; the love that grew between us and Margareta; I got to see how much my community sisters love her, and how much she loves them, and I see how many people love her just by hearing her story. I feel that if we were here only for Margareta, our mission here would be worth it. We get to share in the joys and sufferings of His beautiful children and I ask everyday how I am worthy to be living this life.