Obedience makes a fair summary of St. Catherine’s teaching, on the side of the practical and the concrete. This is the twelfth and final talk of this spiritual retreat.
St. Catherine of Siena (11) Eucharist: Redemption at Work
A dynamic perspective on redemption allows us to see the Eucharist as an ever flowing fountain of grace for each person, each culture, each century.
St. Catherine of Siena (10) Eucharist: The XIV Century Context
Some historical context helps to see how much torn St. Catherine’s soul had to be, seeing God’s surpassing generosity in the Eucharist, and man’s stubborn resistance to such grace.
St. Catherine of Siena (09) Prayer: Five Types of Tears
Five types of tears: A most original insight from St. Catherine on the evolution of love in its ascend towards God.
St. Catherine of Siena (08) Prayer: Vocal and Mental
Some of the essential doctrine on prayer. Also, on the relationship between the dialectic institution vs. charism and its parallel with vocal vs. mental prayer.
St. Catherine of Siena (07) Christ, the Bridge: Three Steps
The feet, the side, the mouth. Christ is the bridge and each stage has its own challenges, its own graces.
St. Catherine of Siena (06) Christ, the Bridge: The River
“River” stands for all that is blocking the way between God and man.
St. Catherine of Siena (05) Christ, the Bridge: The Need for a Saviour
One of the central teachings of St. Catherine in her Dialogue.
St. Catherine of Siena (04) Self-knowledge: Methods
Making the most of temptations, confrontations, times of loneliness; and then acknowledging God’s providence in one’s own history.
St. Catherine of Siena (03) Self-knowledge: From the Opening Passage in the Dialogue
The soul, who is lifted by a very great and yearning desire for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, begins by exercising herself, for a certain space of time, in the ordinary virtues, remaining in the cell of self-knowledge, in order to know better the goodness of God towards her. This she does because knowledge must precede love, and only when she has attained love, can she strive to follow and to clothe herself with the truth. But, in no way, does the creature receive such a taste of the truth, or so brilliant a light therefrom, as by means of humble and continuous prayer, founded on knowledge of herself and of God; because prayer, exercising her in the above way, unites with God the soul that follows the footprints of Christ Crucified, and thus, by desire and affection, and union of love, makes her another Himself. Christ would seem to have meant this, when He said: To him who will love Me and will observe My commandment, will I manifest Myself; and he shall be one thing with Me and I with him. In several places we find similar words, by which we can see that it is, indeed, through the effect of love, that the soul becomes another Himself.
St. Catherine of Siena (02) Self-knowledge: An Existential and Biblical Presentation
It is neither mere introspection nor psychological analysis. St. Catherine’s view of self-knowledge starts from the decision to seek truth and to reject bias.
St. Catherine of Siena (01) Introduction
Top ten reasons to better appreciate St. Catherine’s spiritual and doctrinal legacy.