28/04/2020
A great mystic and doctor of the Church, Catherine of Siena is celebrated on April 29. Exceptional figure of medieval Christianity, her life will be devoted to charity and love.
Born in 1347, the youngest of 25 children, Catherine of Siena is illiterate. She heard the call of God very young.
At 16, she became a Dominican tertiary and put on the coat of "mantelatte", a black overcoat on her white coat. The widows and virgins of this Third Order of Saint Dominic do not share a community life. But their vocation consists in living celibacy, prayer and penance in solidarity.
Spirited in nature, she preaches publicly for the Reformation of the Church and the return to Rome of the pope who had fled to Avignon. Without complex, she wrote him a burning letter in which she urged him to return to Rome. She will even go and get him. In total, she wrote nearly 400 letters to the powerful of her time, making her a mediator for peace and unity. She also travels extensively through Italy and the South of France.
Yet this overflowing activity is only the apparent face of an intense mystical life, with ecstasies during which her disciples, amazed, copy the prayers that escape from her lips. Her "Dialogue", which is also one of the classics of the Italian language, retraces these fiery interviews with Christ, whom she joined at 33, in the beatific vision.
It was a time when an illiterate young woman could become the confidant, and even the counselor, of the popes. A fervent faith then impressed more than the level of education.
Art : Saint Catherine of Siena - ITALIAN SCHOOL OF THE XVII E CENTURY- Notice the 3 common attributes with Mary Magdalene: the cross, the Gospel and the skull. This is explained since Catherine of Siena belongs to the Dominican order of which Mary Magdalene is the patron saint.
