April 29, 2021

Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray with Psalm 89 which captures the spirit of Catherine of Siena, one of the Church’s greatest treasures.

The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
    through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
    in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

Psalm 89:2-3

The beauty of Catherine’s life and spirituality has blessed the world for nearly seven centuries. Still, it has never grown old because it was fully rooted in an eternal God.

Catherine’s sanctity was born of:
transcendent FAITH,
uncompromising TRUTH,
and overarching LOVE
for God
and God’s Creation.

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She lived the Lord’s promise as we find it in Psalm 89:

My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with you,
    and through my name shall your spirit be exalted.
You shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
    my God, the Rock, my savior.

Psalm 89: 25-27

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Here are a few of thoughts from Catherine’s extensive writings:

FAITH

The soul is in God and God is in the soul. 
God is closer to us than water is to a fish. 

Turn over the rudder in God's name, 
and sail with the wind heaven sends us.

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TRUTH

Proclaim the truth 
and do not be silent through fear.

We've had enough exhortations to be silent. 
Cry out with a thousand tongues - 
I see the world is rotten because of silence.

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LOVE

You know that every evil is founded in self-love, 
and that self-love is a cloud that takes away the light of reason, 
which reason holds in itself the light of faith, 
and one is not lost without the other.

Love transforms one 
into what one loves.

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Poetry: My Nature Is Fire – Prayer of St. Catherine of Siena

In your nature, eternal Godhead,
I shall come to know my nature.
And what is my nature, Boundless Love?
It is fire,
because you are nothing but a fire of love.
And you have given humankind
a share in this nature,
for by the fire of love you created us.
And so with all other people
and every created thing;
you made them out of love.

O eternal Trinity, my sweet love!
You, Light, give us light.
You, Wisdom, give us wisdom.
You, Supreme Strength, strengthen us.
Today, eternal God,
let our cloud be dissipated
so that we may perfectly know and follow your Truth in truth,
with a free and simple heart.
God, come to our assistance!
Lord, make haste to help us!
Amen.

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Music: The Prayer – given by violinist SJCelestin and saxophonist Ketler Macome