Exiit qui seminat
St. Catherine of Siena
This past week, the Catholic Church celebrated the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena (April 29) the second woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. Born to a wealthy family, Catherine had the desire not to be married or to even enter traditional religious life, Catherine longed to be married to Christ in a truly mystical way. Catherine would often give her clothing and possessions away, even denying herself food because she knew that the rewards she sought were not on earth, but in heaven. Catherine became what is known as a 3rd Order Dominican (lay people who are not professed as Dominican priests or Dominican brothers and sisters, but living out a life of prayer and service according the rule founded by St. Dominic. Even though St. Catherine lived a life of seclusion and prayer, she felt called to intervene in the larger world of the Church. In the 1300s, embroiled in political tensions of the day, seven Popes resided in Avignon, France in order to avoid the infighting of powerful Roman families. During this time, St. Catherine travelled throughout northern Italy encouraging the reform of the clergy and healing the Church in the midst of her political entanglements and back towards Her mission for the salvation of souls. St. Catherine became very influential as an ambassador between secular and Church authorities and played a role in urging Pope Gregory XI to return the Papacy to Rome. The extremely ascetical life that St. Catherine took a tremendous toll on her body and she died on the 29th of April 1380 at the age of 33. Her last words were "Father, into Your Hands I commend my soul and my spirit." In a world that touts separation between Church and State and champions the removal of any vestage of religion and morality, St. Catherine of Siena shows us how our faith is meant to be tangible, present and heard in the public square. However, it was and is St. Catherine's spirituality and how it has profoundly affected the life of the Church that allowed her and us to love our Lord in a more intimate way and to share that love with the world that we live. St. Catherine of Siena pray for us!
Sincerely Yours in Christ, Fr. Rob Sinatra
