The Works of St Catherine of Siena
Instead of living with other nuns, St Catherine spent all her time in her room at her parents house, eating hardly nothing and often seeing various visions. Sometimes these were of Jesus, other times they were more like nightmares in which she felt the devil coming after her. she lived a solitary life of prayer until 1366. St Catherine was praying in her room, when a vision what she described in her letters a "Mystical Marriage". She was said to have received a vision of Mary, the Blessed Virgin who lead her to Christ. Catherine was convinced she had received a wedding ring given by God, though the jewellery was only visible to her. After this experience she began to see not only Jesus but also Mary his mother, from this vision she learned her life was not to be spent alone in prayer but in helping other people. Catherine went out into the world and began to preach. In those days all of Europe was being swept by the plague known as the Black Death, although it was highly infectious St Catherine had no hesitation in working among it's victims. She bustled around the city and worked as a nurse; she dug graves for those who died of the plague and then buried them properly herself. She also continued to see supernatural visions. St Catherine's temperament of immense charismatic power was all directed selflessly to the service of God and the church. Her definition of God is still effective: "God is He who is. and I am she who is not".
In all her contact with the public St Catherine has developed a talent and passion for meditation, which brought her into Church politics. In the year 1375 she began to dictate letter to anyone she thought needed her advice. she sent letters to kings, princes and dukes all over Italy. St, Catherine's letters, and a treatise called "a dialogue" are considered among the most brilliant writings in the history of the Catholic Church.
During this time Italy was divided into a number of small but powerful and quarrelsome city-states. In particular the city of Florence was a serious enemy of Rome. There was another big problem too for at least 75 years the pope had been living at Avignon in France, rather then traditionally in Rome. Catherine believed that the pope should be in Rome as that is where the popes before had always lived. She worked very hard to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France as she believed it would restore peace to Italy. So she wrote to the pope of the time Gregory IX, explaining what he ought to do. She went to Avignon in order to tell the pope herself, she failed to get the pope to make peace between Florence and Rome, although she persuaded him to return to Rome.
After Gregory XI death French factions in Avignon selected a rival pope in opposition to his successor, Urban VI. St Catherine tried to settle the dispute but aroused such anger in her opponents they threatened her life. In 1380, she dreamt she was being crushed by a ship that symbolized the Church. Shortly afterwards, she was paralysed for days by a stroke. Although Because of her determination and respect that everyone had for this holy lady she finally established peace between Florence and Rome and reunite the Italian city-states. St Catherine of Siena exhausted by prayer died on April 29, 1380, Rome, Italy age 33.
Instead of living with other nuns, St Catherine spent all her time in her room at her parents house, eating hardly nothing and often seeing various visions. Sometimes these were of Jesus, other times they were more like nightmares in which she felt the devil coming after her. she lived a solitary life of prayer until 1366. St Catherine was praying in her room, when a vision what she described in her letters a "Mystical Marriage". She was said to have received a vision of Mary, the Blessed Virgin who lead her to Christ. Catherine was convinced she had received a wedding ring given by God, though the jewellery was only visible to her. After this experience she began to see not only Jesus but also Mary his mother, from this vision she learned her life was not to be spent alone in prayer but in helping other people. Catherine went out into the world and began to preach. In those days all of Europe was being swept by the plague known as the Black Death, although it was highly infectious St Catherine had no hesitation in working among it's victims. She bustled around the city and worked as a nurse; she dug graves for those who died of the plague and then buried them properly herself. She also continued to see supernatural visions. St Catherine's temperament of immense charismatic power was all directed selflessly to the service of God and the church. Her definition of God is still effective: "God is He who is. and I am she who is not".
In all her contact with the public St Catherine has developed a talent and passion for meditation, which brought her into Church politics. In the year 1375 she began to dictate letter to anyone she thought needed her advice. she sent letters to kings, princes and dukes all over Italy. St, Catherine's letters, and a treatise called "a dialogue" are considered among the most brilliant writings in the history of the Catholic Church.
During this time Italy was divided into a number of small but powerful and quarrelsome city-states. In particular the city of Florence was a serious enemy of Rome. There was another big problem too for at least 75 years the pope had been living at Avignon in France, rather then traditionally in Rome. Catherine believed that the pope should be in Rome as that is where the popes before had always lived. She worked very hard to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France as she believed it would restore peace to Italy. So she wrote to the pope of the time Gregory IX, explaining what he ought to do. She went to Avignon in order to tell the pope herself, she failed to get the pope to make peace between Florence and Rome, although she persuaded him to return to Rome.
After Gregory XI death French factions in Avignon selected a rival pope in opposition to his successor, Urban VI. St Catherine tried to settle the dispute but aroused such anger in her opponents they threatened her life. In 1380, she dreamt she was being crushed by a ship that symbolized the Church. Shortly afterwards, she was paralysed for days by a stroke. Although Because of her determination and respect that everyone had for this holy lady she finally established peace between Florence and Rome and reunite the Italian city-states. St Catherine of Siena exhausted by prayer died on April 29, 1380, Rome, Italy age 33.