Thursday, October 16 : Saint Catherine of Siena

I, Catherine, the slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, write to you in His Precious Blood, with the desire to see in you a true knowledge of yourself and your Creator. And this knowledge is necessary for our salvation, for all virtue comes from this holy knowledge. Where is true humility found? In self-knowledge; for the soul that recognizes that it is nothing, and that it derives its entire being from God, cannot raise its head in pride against its Creator, nor against its neighbor; for that which is nothing in itself cannot be proud. And where does the soul grieve over its fault? In self-knowledge, by piously considering who it is that has offended God, and which God it has offended. (…) Through our fault, we lose the life of grace and our dignity. (…) Why? Because we do not know what follows sin and where it leads us. For if we truly knew it, we would abandon vice and unruly habits and embrace virtue. Then we would honor God, we would preserve the beauty and dignity of our souls; we would follow the doctrine of truth, and in following it, we would be children of that truth. (…) Return to yourself a little, and no longer sleep in such a sleep; but wake up, taking advantage of this moment granted to you. Do not wait for time, for it does not wait. Truly know yourself, and know the great goodness of God toward you.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team