This quote, for me, captures something of St Catherine’s life and spirit. She was deeply rooted in Christ and from that place was able to live boldly in the world in a way that was transformative of the church and the society in which she lived.
St Catherine of
Siena was born in Italy in 1347 to a large family and only lived to the age of 33. She had a powerful influence on the church in her short life as a lay Dominican, a spiritual guide, a peacemaker, and an advisor to the Pope.
St Catherine was a mystic who had some remarkable experiences of Christ in her prayer time. She had a vision in which Jesus gave her a beautiful ring and said that he was making her his spouse. Another
of her key mystical experiences was an exchange of hearts with Jesus. He said to her that he had taken her heart, so he was giving her his heart now so that she could go on living with it forever. St. Catherine wrote a book of her mystical insights called “The Dialogue of Divine Providence.”
As a child she had an exceptionally intense prayer life and at the age of seven, without telling anyone, decided to consecrate
her life to Christ. When she was 16 and her parents wanted her to marry, she was so determined not to – even cutting off her hair- that they eventually let her have her way and she lived the Dominican way of life in her own home as a lay Dominican.
She lived a solitary life of prayer and fasting for about three years and then felt called to begin to tend to the sick, the poor and the marginalised, including the lepers
in her community. Her example moved people and many, from a range of backgrounds, sought out her spiritual guidance.
In her twenties God called her to a more public life and she corresponded with many influential people in society, including the Pope. Her absolute commitment to the value of truth made her bold enough to be assertive and even confrontational when necessary. She helped facilitate remarkable
political acts including achieving peace between Florence and the Holy See and convincing the Pope to return to Rome from his exile in Avignon. People listened when she spoke perhaps because of the power of her lived example.
St. Catherine encourages us to feel confident in God’s mercy and unfailing love so that we can look honestly at ourselves and our world, so that we can act from a place of truth. Catherine, I
believe has much to teach us. We live in a time when many church and political leaders need to be challenged by our speaking the truth boldly and in love as she did. truth can only resonate with its hearers when we are living it authentically in our own lives, when we are deeply anchored in prayer, and when we are tending to the needs of those who suffer.
Where do I find it difficult to speak out against
injustice? What grace might I need to ask for?
How do I need to tend my own relationship with Christ?
