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| (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
On this feast day of the great Dominican Saint, Lay Dominican,
Doctor of the Catholic Church, and mystic, St. Catherine of
Siena (1347-1380), I wanted to share one of my favorite (but challenging) excerpts from The Dialogue:
"The willing
desire to suffer every pain and hardship even to the point of death for the
salvation of souls is very pleasing to me. The more you bear, the more you show
your love for me. In loving me you come to know more of my truth, and the more
you know, the more intolerable pain and sorrow you will feel when I am offended.
You asked for suffering, and you asked me to punish you for the sins of others. What you were not aware of was that you were, in effect, asking for love and light and knowledge of the truth. For I have already told you that suffering and sorrow increase in proportion to love: When love grows, so does sorrow. So I say to you: Ask
and it shall be given to you; I will not say no to anyone who asks in truth.
Consider that the soul's love in divine charity is so joined with perfect
patience that the one cannot leave without the other. The soul, therefore, who
chooses to love me must also choose to suffer for me anything at all that I
give her. Patience is not proved except in suffering, and patience is one with
charity, as has been said. Endure courageously, then. Otherwise you will not
show yourselves to be—nor will you be faithful spouses and children of my
Truth, nor will you show that your delight is in my honor and in the salvation
of souls."
