St. Catherine of Siena -- April 29

If I were going to choose the have any characteristic of a saint, I would choose to have the strength and courage of St. Catherine of Siena. She knew from such a young age that she was chosen by God and she had superhuman fortitude to carry through with her saintly duties. It is no wonder that she died at a young age. She probably wore her poor human body out.

From The Story of the Church

St. Catherine was born at Siena on the feast of the Annunciation in 1347. When she was seven years old she made a vow of perpetual virginity and persuaded her parents to permit her to join the Third Order of St. Dominic. She set aside one room in her home where she led the strictiest kind of religious life and maintained almost constant silence. She united herself with God in prayer and received many wonderful spiritual favors from our Lord. She had the power of reading the hearts of people and converted many hardhearted sinners.

Catherine's father died in the year 1368. She took charge of her sick mother and, from that time to the end of her life, ministered to the poor and sick. in 1374, a plague broke out in Siena and she became teh angel of mercy to its victims and showed the greatets heroism.

In the year 1375, a war broke out between the Republic of Florence and the Papacy States. Catherine devoted herself to bringing about peace between the Pope and Florence. In the city of Florence, she went from one powerful noble to another, pleading with them to give up the war. From them she learned the conditions under which they would make peace.

Then it was that Catherine set out on a long journey to Avignon for the purpose of persuading Gregory XI to return to Rome. At first the Pope was not inclined to pay any attention to her.

At the time that he had been elected to the Papacy, Gregory had made a secret vow to bring the Papal Court back to Rome. This vow he had never fulfilled because he was not brave enough to face the opposition of the French King and the French Cardinals.

Catherine told the Pope that she knew that he had made that vow. Since this fact was unknown to anyone in the world except himself, Gregory realized that Catherine was God’s messenger and he agreed to leave Avignon.

Gregory authorized Catherine to act as his delegate in dealing with the rulers of Florence. The latter, however, refused to live up their side of the bargain and the war broke out anew. Gregory died before peace was made. Under Gregory’s successor, Urban VI, the trouble was finally settled and Catherine returned to Siena.

Then it was the schism broke out, and it would seem that all Catherine’s labors had gone for naught. However, she did not lose courage. She did all that she could to support Urban, the lawful Pope. She became his constant advisor and many times saved him from making mistakes, for he was a very impetuous man. She took upon herself the task of trying to bring peace and order to the city of Rome.

Such labors were more than her frail constitution could stand. She died at age thirty–three.

It is said that Catherine wrote many letters to great men in history, of which at least four hundred have been saved. She likely changed the course of history in a great ways with her letters, that are said to have been written in great literary style. Appropriately on this Feast of the Good Shepherd is a letter written to Pope Gregory XI:

Letter to Gregory XI

In the name of Jesus Christ crucified and of sweet Mary: Most holy and most reverend my father in Christ Jesus: I Catherine your poor unworthy daughter, servant and slave of the servants of Christ, write to you in His precious blood; with desire to see you a good shepherd. For I reflect, sweet my father, that the wolf is carrying away your sheep, and there is no one found to succor them. So I hasten to you, our father and our shepherd, begging you on behalf of Christ crucified to learn from Him, who with such fire of love gave Himself to the shameful death of the most holy cross, how to rescue that lost sheep, the human race, from the hands of the demons; because through man's rebellion against God they were holding him for their own possession.

Then comes the Infinite Goodness of God, and sees the evil state and the loss and the ruin of these sheep, and sees that they cannot be won back to Him by wrath or war. So, notwithstanding they have wronged Him-for man deserves an infinite penalty for his disobedient rebellion against God-the Highest and Eternal Wisdom will not do this, but finds an attractive way, the gentlest and most loving possible to find. For it sees that the heart of man is in no way so drawn as by love, because he was created by love. This seems to be the reason why he loves so much: he was created by nothing but love, both his soul and his body. For by love God created him in His Image and Likeness, and by love his father and mother gave him substance, conceiving and bearing a son.

God, therefore, seeing that man is so ready to love, throws the book of love straight at him, giving him the Word, His Only-Begotten Son, who takes our humanity to make a great peace. But justice wills that vengeance should be wrought for the wrong that has been done to God: so comes Divine Mercy and unspeakable Charity, and to satisfy justice and mercy condemns His Son to death, having clothed him in our humanity, that is, in the clay of Adam who sinned. So by His death the wrath of the Father is pacified, having wrought justice on the person of His son: so He has satisfied justice and has satisfied mercy, releasing the human race from the hands of demons. This sweet Word jousted with His arms upon the wood of the most holy Cross, death fighting a tournament with life and life with death: so that by His death He destroyed our death, and to give us life He sacrificed the life of His body. So then with love He has drawn us to Him, and has overcome our malice with His benignity, in so much that every heart should be drawn to Him: since greater love one cannot show-and this He himself said-than to give one's life for one's friend. And if He commended the love which gives one's life for one's friend, what then shall we say of that most burning and perfect love which gave its life for its foe? For we through sin had become foes of God. Oh, sweet and loving Word, who with love hast found Thy flock once more, and with love hast given Thy life for them, and hast brought them back to Thy fold, restoring to them the Grace which they had lost!

Holiest sweet father of mine, I see no other way for us and no other aid to winning back your sheep, which have left the fold of Holy Church in rebellion, not obedient nor submissive to you, their father. I pray you therefore, in the name of Christ crucified, and I will that you do me this grace, to overcome their malice with your benignity. Yours we are, father! I know and realize that they all feel that they have done wrong; but although they have no excuse for their crimes, nevertheless it seemed to them that they could not do differently, because of the many sufferings and injustices and iniquitous things they have endured from bad shepherds and governors. For they have breathed the stench of the lives of many rulers whom you know yourself to be incarnate demons, and fallen into terrible fears, so that they did like Pilate, who not to lose his authority killed Christ; so did they, for not to lose their state, they maltreated you. I ask you then, father, to show them mercy. Do not regard the ignorance and pride of your sons, but with the food of love and your benignity inflict such mild discipline and benign reproof as shall satisfy your Holiness and restore peace to us miserable children who have done wrong.

I tell you, sweet Christ on earth, on behalf of Christ in Heaven, that if you do this, without strife or tempest, they will all come grieving for the wrong they have done, and lay their heads on your bosom. Then you will rejoice, and we shall rejoice, because by love you have restored the sheep to the fold of Holy Church. And then, sweet my father, you will fulfill your holy desire and the will of God by starting the holy Crusade, which I summon you in his name to do swiftly and without negligence. They will turn to it with great eagerness; they are ready to give their lives for Christ. Ah me, God, sweet Love! Raise swiftly, father, the banner of the most holy Cross and you will see the wolves become lambs. Peace, peace, peace, that war may not delay that happy time!

But if you will wreak vengeance and justice, inflict them on me, poor wretch, and assign me any pain and torment that may please you, even death. I believe that through the foulness of my iniquities many evils have occurred, and many misfortunes and discords. On me then, your poor daughter, take any vengeance that you will. Ah me, father, I die of grief and cannot die! Come, come, and resist no more the will of God that calls you; the hungry sheep await your coming to hold and possess the place of your predecessor and Champion, Apostle Peter. For you, as the Vicar of Christ, should abide in your own place. Come, then, come, and delay no more; and comfort you, and fear not anything that might happen, since God will be with you. I ask humbly your benediction for me and all my sons; and I beg you to pardon my presumption. I say no more. Remain in the holy and sweet grace of God-Sweet Jesus, Jesus Love.

text of letter from EWTN.com