Let us ponder St. Catherine

The last few days in this Lenten journey we are taking together, I used quotes from St. Catherine of Siena.

Let's find out more about this fascinating woman, nun, and saint.

St. Catherine was a member of the Dominican order and as such was able to go out into the world.  She was not cloistered.  Catherine traveled as part of the work she was doing for the Lord.

During her life, she led a crusade against the Muslims, and was able to return the papacy of Gregory XI from France to Italy by convincing Gregory XI to return to Rome.  She met with the Pope on many occasions.  The times in which Catherine lived were tumultuous in terms of the Catholic Church, and there was much corruption.  In direct contrast, Catherine was one of the most sacrificial saints -- depriving herself of food except for the Host for long periods of time, scourging herself, and denying herself sleep.  This self-abuse is one used by mystics in some cases, and is still used today in some orders outside of the U.S.  St. Theresa of Lisieux questioned its use.  My own take on it is that suffering comes to us all in one form or another.  The love of God and His love for us is enough to bring about a depth of devotion.

St. Catherine was born Catherine Benincasa on March 25, 1347 in Siena, Tuscany, Italy, surely one of the most beautiful areas on the entire planet.  She died on April 29, 1380.

As I started working on this posting today, I decided on the spur of the moment to write about St. Catherine (Karen is a derivative of Catherine), and then I saw her birth date -- today!!  Isn't that something amazing?

St. Catherine was intelligent and did a lot of writing -- much of it in the form of letters.  She had received no formal education, and the fact that she could read and write is looked upon as a miracle.  Her writing is not flowery in any way, but is blunt and to-the-point as she herself was.  She endured much pain in her lifetime but did not want undue attention in anything -- a humble soul dedicated to God, although her parents would have wished otherwise.  They had hoped she would marry.

So our quote today is:

"The human heart is always drawn by love." Dialogue 26

The Catherine of Siena Society is the one that publishes material on Called and Gifted, seminars given on our charisms (gifts from God that are so special that they bring about in us a passion for the use of them).  Her work continues here on this earth in many forms.