Wednesday, April 29 : Saint Catherine of Siena

Rising above itself—a soul tormented by an immense desire for the honor of God and the salvation of souls—comes to exercise itself for a time in the practice of ordinary virtues and encloses itself within the cell of self-knowledge, the better to know God’s goodness toward it. For love follows upon knowledge; and in loving, the soul seeks to follow the Truth and to clothe itself in the Truth. Nothing allows the creature to taste this Truth more fully—nothing affords it so much light—as humble, continuous prayer grounded in the knowledge of oneself and of God. Prayer, thus understood and practiced, unites the soul with God. By following in the footsteps of the crucified Christ—through desire, through affection, through a union of love—the soul becomes another Christ. Is this not what Christ wished to teach us when He said: “To him who loves Me and keeps My Word, I will manifest Myself: he shall be one with Me, and I with him” (Jn 14:21)? We find similar words in many places. Since Christ is the Truth, these words clearly demonstrate to us that, through love, the soul becomes one with Him. To illustrate this more clearly, I recall having learned from a servant of God that, during a profound rapture of the spirit she experienced in prayer, God—parting the veils—allowed her to contemplate the love He bears for His servants. Among other things, He said to her: “Open the eye of your intellect and look within Me; there you will see the dignity and beauty of My rational creature. Beyond the beauty with which I endowed the soul in creating it in My image and likeness, behold those who are clad in the wedding garment—that is, in charity—adorned with a multitude of virtues. These souls are one with Me through love.”

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team