Today is the Feast Day of St. Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine, pray for us
A Short Reflection
In the Dialogue, St. Catherine wrote "In your nature, O eternal Godhead, I shall know my own nature." In order to truly understand ourselves, we must first know God—our understanding of the human person is incomplete without acknowledging God.
I will remain indebted to St. Catherine and her writings, since she articulates what it means to be a child of Jesus and how we are to see and live in the world. Society often reduces the human person to mere biological processes or consumer preferences; St. Catherine, looking through the eyes of Jesus, offers a radically different perspective. She proclaims we are spiritual beings, and our dignity is derived from being created in God's image and likeness. This vision challenges modern narratives by asserting that true freedom is found not in rejecting Jesus and the divine law but in embracing it.
The commandments to love God and neighbor are not arbitrary rules but the path to fulfilling our deepest identity. St. Catherine teaches us that our ability to love others can only flourish within the context of a relationship with Jesus. Why? Because we share in the divine nature of Jesus.
This understanding has profound implications for how we live out our faith. The sacraments, especially the Eucharist, are not mere rituals but real encounters with Jesus. And it is because of the sacrament we are empowered to witness through acts of kindness, justice, and mercy. By doing so we contribute to the sanctification of the world.
As we navigate the challenges of modern society, where isolation, indifference, and hostility can prevail, may we recognize the divine image in each other and respond accordingly. This calling, although difficult, holds the promise of transforming society from within, fostering a culture where every person is valued for their inherent dignity as God's beloved.
On this feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, may we recognize that our efforts to love our neighbor are not merely acts of social responsibility but sacred duties that fulfill our purpose as beings created in God's image. In this divine love, we find the strength to overcome selfishness and the grace to love others.
St. Catherine, pray for us.
From the dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor
I tasted and I saw
Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are.
I have tasted and seen the depth of your mystery and the beauty of your creation with the light of my understanding. I have clothed myself with your likeness and have seen what I shall be. Eternal Father, you have given me a share in your power and the wisdom that Christ claims as his own, and your Holy Spirit has given me the desire to love you. You are my Creator, eternal Trinity, and I am your creature. You have made of me a new creation in the blood of your Son, and I know that you are moved with love at the beauty of your creation, for you have enlightened me.
Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light and causes me to know your truth. By this light, reflected as it were in a mirror, I recognize that you are the highest good, one we can neither comprehend nor fathom. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love.
You are the garment which covers our nakedness, and in our hunger you are a satisfying food, for you are sweetness and in you there is no taste of bitterness, O triune God!
Today’s Mass Collect
O God, who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service of your Church, grant, through her intercession, that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.