St. Catherine of Siena is one of the most influential saints in the history of the Church, but how much do you know about her life and legacy? This saint offers a wealth of inspiration and imitation-worthy mentorship for Catholic business leaders at all levels of work and life.
Born in Siena, Italy, in 1347, St. Catherine of Siena was a Dominican nun. At a young age, she 
began to have mystical experiences, which led her to a life of contemplation and service to others. She became known for her dedication to prayer, her tireless work for the poor and sick, and her passionate advocacy for the Church.
St. Catherine’s Dominican spirituality played a significant role in her life and her contribution as a Doctor of the Church. Her deep contemplation and prayer life gave her a profound understanding of the mysteries of faith, which she shared with others through her writings and counsel.
Speaking the Truth with clarity and charity
She was also deeply committed to the Dominican charism of preaching the Truth with clarity and charity, which she demonstrated in her tireless efforts to reform the Church.
As we celebrate her feast day, it sure makes sense to ask for her intercession and guidance, so that we too may become witnesses of God’s love and mercy in this world – and become Saints in the next.
A Patroness of Tears
Reflections Br. Anthony Maria Akerman, O.P. — One of the most striking aspects of the writings of St. Catherine of Siena is her attention to bodiliness. Her visual metaphors are often punctuated by reference to things such as hunger, blood, and tears. What she writes is always beautiful, but also a bit unsettling. In a favorite passage of mine, from The Dialogue, the Father says:
Therefore I give My servants hunger and desire for My honor, and the salvation of souls, so that, constrained by their tears, I may mitigate the fury of My divine justice. Take, therefore, your tears and your sweat, drawn from the fountain of My divine love, and, with them, wash the face of My spouse.
Tears of fire
An important lesson we learn through Catherine’s complex interplay of metaphors throughout The Dialogue is what she describes as stages of various kinds of tears. The tears of the wicked; of fear (for those who repent, though imperfectly); tears of sweetness; of love; she even speaks about tears of fire.
Time does not permit a full exposition of Catherine’s various tears, but I would like to highlight this one crucial aspect.
Realistic understanding of the life of grace
We understand from her writings, and from all the spiritual masters, that the life of grace is often one punctuated by moments of tremendous sorrow. In particular, the saints teach us that as we grow closer to God we will pass through purgative nights in which God’s presence feels more remote than ever.
God in his loving wisdom withdraws himself in this way in order to prompt us onward to a more ardent love for him.
He seeks to detach us from our feelings of God, so that we may grow more deeply in love with God himself. Scripture itself uses this metaphor of being weaned from milk, so that we may mature toward solid food. (1 Cor. 3:2)
Spiritual Thirst
This feeling of absence, often called a darkness, may also be described as a kind of spiritual thirst: “O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless, and without water.” (Ps. 63:2)
Once we are weaned from the spiritual milk, we can say with the Psalmist, “I eat ashes like bread, and tears have become my drink.” (Ps. 102:10)
St. Catherine can teach us that our very yearning for God’s presence, in those moments of deep spiritual pain, can itself be God’s very mode of presence to us. Our soul may feel dried out, but only so that we may be better kindled by the divine love–and perhaps to begin shedding tears of fire.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena – by St. Catherine of Siena
St. Teresa of Avila Three Book Treasury – Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection, and The Book of Her Life (Autobiography) – by St. Catherine of Siena
- The Way of Perfection – by St. Catherine of Siena
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