April 29th - St. Catherine of Siena

 

 “Love one another, as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” In a very special way St. Catherine of Siena, whose memorial we celebrate today, loved her neighbor, by laying down her life, for her friends. She laid down her life spiritually, as she was persecuted by her family, took vows of a Dominican tertiary and so, did severe mortifications and penance for the conversion of sinners, worked with the poor and sick, courageously wrote letters and visited with kings, priests, cardinals and popes to draw them closer to Christ, and to help them to do God’s will. All her life, she willingly suffered spiritually and physically for the sake of Christ, her spouse.

Catherine’s mother, whose name was Lapa, had 25 children. Catherine was the youngest. As a little girl, while going up or down the stairs, she would kneel on each step and recite a Hail Mary. When six years old, on her way back from seeing her older sister, she stopped in her tracks staring towards the sky. She beheld Our Lord seated in glory with St. Peter, St. Paul and St. John. Our Savior smiled upon her. He extended His hand to bless her and from that moment on Catherine was entirely His.

As a child, Catherine cared about prayer and solitude, only mingling with other children in order to share her devotion. When she was 12, her parents urged her to devote more care to her personal appearance, and so to please her mother, she had her hair dressed up, and was decked out in the latest fashion, but soon discontinued. Even though, her parents sought a husband for her, she said she would never marry, and so cut off her golden brown hair. The family persecuted her by continuously scolding her, and forcing her to do menial work, day and night. Because she loved privacy, her parents would not allow her to be alone. She bore all these trials with patience. Later in her writings called “The Dialogue”, she said that God had taught her to build in her soul, a refuge in which she could dwell peacefully that no tribulation could ever disturb her. Her father realized it was useless and permitted her, to do as she desired. She kept her small room shuttered, dimly lit, gave herself to fasting and prayer, took the discipline, and slept on boards. She received the habit of a Dominican tertiary and increased her mortifications. She had celestial visions and consolations, but also was subject to fierce trials. She had the most degrading temptations, while loathsome figures enticed her. She passed through long intervals of desolation, in which God seemed to have abandoned her.

On Shrove Tuesday in 1366, during a carnival in Sienna, while praying in her room, our Savior appeared to her, with His Blessed Mother, and a crowd of heavenly host. Taking Catherine’s hand, Our Lady held it up to Her Son, who placed a ring upon it, and espoused Catherine to Himself. The ring remained visible to her, but invisible to others. The spiritual betrothal ended her years of solitude, and she went out seeking the salvation of others. She nursed many, and brought about many conversions in hospitals. She took cases, which were most difficult and repulsive. Her exterior life in no way interfered with her union with Jesus.

Often in church, and especially after receiving Holy Communion, she would be rapt in ecstasy. And while in prayer, she was seen levitating. Her friends and followers would call her “mama” and she frequently read their thoughts and knew their temptations. While many thought her a saint, others, even from her own order, thought she was a hypocrite.

As a plague broke out, she continued to care for all, and buried them herself. She also visited prisons, and helped those to be executed to make their peace with God.

Once while praying in the church of St. Christina, while looking at a crucifix, suddenly, five blood rays came forth, which pierced her hands, feet, and heart, causing acute pain. The wounds were visible to her alone, but after her death, became visible.

She often spoke with familiarity, to kings, bishops, cardinals and popes. For example, she called Pope Gregory XI, “my sweet baboo”. She appealed to the pope to begin a crusade to free the Holy Sepulcher, from the Turks, and convinced the pope, who had been living in Avignon to return to Rome. And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she dictated a book called “The Dialogues of St. Catherine”.

Even though she suffered long from an illness, her emancipated face, always had a smiling expression and so she suffered joyfully. She had a stroke in 1380, and died 8 days later at the age of 33. She was canonized in 1461 and proclaimed a doctor of the Church in 1970.

Although her life was filled with many mystical experiences, she was a down to earth woman, lived a holy life, laying down her life, for the sake of others, and so loved others as Jesus loved her. “O St. Catherine, angelic virgin, mystic of the incarnate word, you who loved Jesus and Mary with all your heart, help us too lay down our life for our brothers and sisters. Help us to love Jesus and Mary, as you, and teach us to pray, that we too may become saints.”