CATHERINE ‘WHO IS NOT’

I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses,
That the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12, 9)

Our paschal candle reminds me of St. Catherine’s self-giving life. It sheds its light, going out and burning down.

A short reflection in honour of St. Catherine.

We confess in the apostle’s creed, that we believe in the communion of the saints. I always was fascinated, encouraged and gladdened by this truth. Sometimes we imagine the saints to be somewhere far, far away but they encompass/surround us (Heb 12:1).

A couple of days before Sr. Dominic died, she told me that she would never ever forget us and our families when she sees God face to face.

At this time when so many people are deprived of the Eucharist, this passage from St Catherine’s ‘Dialogue’ shows why this deprivation is so hard for so many people.

[God the Father speaking:] Dearest daughter, contemplate the marvelous state of the soul who receives this bread of life, this food of angels,

For many eras, the Church has been truly blessed with saintly and most dedicated Popes – each with his own personality and God given spiritual gifts.

Each responding to his high calling from God with an immense generosity and spirit of sacrifice in an increasingly changing world. Pope Francis no less than his predecessors has faced immense difficulties in our own historical situation both in the Church and in the world just as St. Catherine did in her time.

I offer my life to you Eternal Father, for your Sweet Spouse, unworthy though I am. I ask only to see the Renewal of that Sweet Spouse, your Church. Eternal God, this I ask of you.

I find real joy in singing to myself frequently during the day, this Magnificat Antiphon for Evening Prayer 2 of St Catherine’s Feast.

Although Catherine lived over six hundred years ago, her times were not unlike our own. She lived during a tumultuous period in the Church’s history, when the Black Death decimated Europe. The feudal system was in ruins. Nation states were emerging, with tensions between England and France, Genoa and Venice. The Pope was residing in Avignon and the calibre of members of Religious Communities and that of the diocesan clergy left a lot to be desired.

With the world as it is these days, and knowing that St Catherine – having lived through a devastating plague – should be a good saint to turn to in a time of distress, I looked about in her ‘Dialogue’ to see what wisdom I might find. And the following – on Divine Providence – seemed to be an answer, so to speak: hopefully offering words of encouragement and of hope.

I want to quote a prayer of St Catherine, published in a helpful little book “From Holy Communion to the Blessed Trinity” by M.V. Bernadot O.P.

First a petition in St Catherine’s own words:

“O Eternal Trinity, our supreme love and true light enlighten me.”

O Eternal Trinity, All Powerful God, we are dead trees, whilst You are the Tree of life.

How does one enter into the Event that we call Holy Week single-mindedly and prayerfully?

With JESUS of course – but then again, so much is happening to Him that it is hard to hold to any one moment intensely, if you want to live all of them. It seems too much like floating on the surface without being immersed in the mystery.

This year, maybe a good word to sit with and to carry through the week might be: Truth.