Sunday Saints: Catherine of Siena

"It is a wonderful experience to discover a new saint. For God is greatly magnified and marvelous in each one of His saints: differently in each individual one. There are no two saints alike, but all of them are like God, like him in a different and special way. In fact, if Adam had not fallen, the whole human race would have been a series of magnificently different and splendid images of God, each one of all the millions of men showing forth his glories and perfections in an astonishing new way..." --Thomas Merton, from The Seven Storey Mountain

Bouncing off of the intent behind the silly-yet-wonderful Lent Madness, each Sunday in Lent will feature a post with something by or about one of the saints. Today we're graced by some words from the wise, diplomatic visionary St. Catherine of Siena.




"No One Will Begrudge Me"
by St. Catherine of Siena

I talk about it sometimes with Him, all the suffering in the world.

"Dear God," I have prayed, "how it it possible
all the horrors I have seen, all the atrocities
you allow man to commit when you-- God-- are ever
standing so near and could help us?
Could we not hear your voice say 'No'
with such love and power
never again would we harm?"

And my Lord replied, "Who would understand if
I said that I cannot bear to confine a wing,
and not let it learn from the course it chooses?"

But what of a man walking lost in the forest
weeping and calling your name for help, and
unknown to him he is heading for a covered pit
with sharp spears in it
that will maim his flesh when he crashes through the trap?

"Yes, why don't I remove every object from this world
that could cause someone to weep?
Yes, why don't I speak in a way
that could save a life?

I opened up my hand and the Infinite ran to the edges of space--
and all possibilities are contained therein,
all possibilities,
even sorrow.

In the end, nothing that ever caused one pain will exist.
No one will begrudge me.

The Absolute Innocence of all within my creation
takes a while to understand."