Catherine of Siena

On April 29 we celebrate the feast of one of the great women mystics and a female Doctor of the Church, Catherine of Siena. The modern mind finds Catherine a little difficult to take. Born in 1347, the 24 of 25 children (this is not the size of the average contemporary family), Catherine was the daughter of a wool dyer, fairly prosperous and almost middle class for the time. Catherine packed a lot of living into her 33 year life.

At the age of six she experienced a vision of Christ and decided to dedicate her life to God. The next year she made a vow of virginity. When her older, much-beloved sister, Bonaventure, died in 1362 she cut off her hair in defiance of her parents’ plans for her marriage. Her parents dismissed the house maid and Catherine was put to work for the house in her place and began to eat only bread, water and raw vegetables. At this point contemporary family services would declare the family dysfunctional and encourage therapy for all members.

When her father found her praying and saw a white dove hovering over her head, he became convinced that Catherine was following a true path even if he didn’t understand it, let her have her own room for solitude and prayer and forbade anyone in the family from interfering with her wishes. He even gave her permission to give alms from the family’s goods. Catherine took full advantage of this, to the benefit of the poor of Siena. Family members learned to lock their doors. At some point she learned to read.

In 1368 Catherine’s father died, Siena was struck by famine and Catherine no longer could tolerate bread. She received a vision telling her to leave her solitude to serve others. From that pint on, Catherine became actively involved in caring for

the plague-stricken, preaching a crusade and working to keep a break between the republics of Italy and the Pope from happening. By this point she had received the stigmata, could no longer eat solid food and consoled a young man to be executed to such an extent that he asked her to be with him and catch his head in her hands when he was executed.

By 1379 Catherine had attracted a large number of followers for whom she was spiritual director, counselor, mediator and “mama.”Many of them lived a communal life with her and worked for the unity and reform of the Church. On April 29, 1380 Catherine of Siena died in Rome at the age of 33. This is a very brief summary of Catherine's life and does not do justice to her activities and influence.

In the chapter on Catherine of Siena in her book Enduring Grace, author Carol Lee Flinders describes Catherine as a “blessedly eccentric individual.” Flinders also notes that Catherine’s intensity was “like the wine of Siena—very red.”

I find Catherine’s life strange, full of contradictions and give thanks that I am not called to it

but I find her writings attractive, mysterious and worth reflection.. My favorite prayer of Catherine is one about the Trinity.
         I shall contemplate myself in you. And I shall clothe myself in your eternal will,
         and by this light I shall come to know that you, eternal Trinity,
         are table and food and waiter for us.
         You, eternal Father, are the table that offers us as food the Lamb, your only-begotten Son.
         He is the most exquisite of foods for us, both in his teaching, which nourishes us in your will,
         and in the sacrament that we receive in holy communion
        which feeds and strengthens us while we are pilgrim travelers in this life.
        And the Holy Spirit is indeed a waiter for us,
        for he serves us this teaching by enlightening our mind’s eye with it and inspiring us to follow it.
       And he serves us charity for neighbors and hunger to have as our food souls
       and the salvation of the whole world for the Father’s honor.

     Sr. Deborah Harmeling, OSB