Let His Mercy Be Known
By Joe Cuda
St. Catherine of Siena was a 14th century tertiary Dominican and Doctor of the Church, who was renowned for her ardent prayer, peacemaking, and writing. Her life is filled with stories that reflect a transparent faith in the power of God’s intervention, her desire for unity within the Church, and her gifts in healing and touching the lives of others.
I discovered St. Catherine a few years ago when I read this passage. She writes these words with the same devotion and absolute trust with which she lived her life by:
“I don’t want you to yield to weariness or confusion, no matter what may trouble your spirit. No, I want you to keep the good, holy, and true faithful will that I know God in his mercy has given you. Be glad…celebrate! Without any slavish fear take courage. Don’t be afraid, no matter what has happened, no matter what you see coming. Take courage for perfection is very accessible” (except from her Letter to Br. Raimondo of Capua at Avignon).
Whenever I read these words, they indicate to me that St. Catherine must have experienced trials herself and had her faith tested. Don’t we all struggle with weariness or battle the armies of confusion? St. Catherine doesn't want us to get caught up in the messiness of our sins and plights but rather in the will of God that will lead us through our struggles.
The reason we should "be glad and celebrate" is because God's will is there to guide us through the midst of it all. And this, as St. Catherine reminds us, is a wonderful gift of God's great mercy, which is able to penetrate into our past, present, and future experiences.
God’s will can sometimes seem so hard to understand, a mystery that is more hidden than it is found. Many often ponder, "What is God's will for my life? and ask, "Lord, what is your will…what should I be doing?” But St. Catherine knows God's will is more simple and apparent than we think. He doesn't hide it so much as reveal it or deter us so much as lead us to it.
We should “take courage” because God has revealed everything in the perfection of Christ his Son, who lived among us and entered into the human experience. He is so near, so accessible.
What is God’s will for us then except to grow into the perfection of Christ?
St. Paul reminds us that, “God has called [us] through our Gospel to
possess the glory of Jesus Christ.” (2 Thes. 2:14). Every day we are invited
to grow towards sanctity and heaven by rising with Christ in the midst of
our circumstances. We are to mature in love so as to become ourselves
fully in Christ. If we strive for this first, God will surely lead us down the
narrower paths of our lives.
God is always at work in us if only we open ourselves to him. I invite you
to think and pray about your own life. How have you grown in virtue over
the years? This is evidence of God’s grace alive in your heart and mind!
St. Catherine points directly to Christ, the Fountain of Life that is never
depleted of its mercy and compassion! In him we really can do anything.
Let us then “take courage” in our lives and “celebrate” Christ and the
mercy of God! We need not be afraid!
Thank you St. Catherine for your life and example! Pray for us, that we can
fight the good fight and become ourselves fully in Christ. May we
experience deeper the reality of God’s great mercy.