Remembering St Catherine of Siena

 

The first reading for today, the memorial dedicated to St Catherine of Siena, is from Acts 4:32-37. This gives us a brief description of the early Christian community and how they held everything in common. No member was ever in want. The gospel reading from John 3:7-15 continues the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to convince Nicodemus that they share the same source of knowledge when it comes to talking about this world. But when it comes to talking about what is beyond this world it is like hearing the sound of the wind but not knowing where it comes from. Catherine of Siena was one who was privileged to have had visions that enabled her to see that which lies beyond the visible. She was a laywoman who lived from 1347 to 1380 and became a member of a group of devout women who would later become the Third Order of Dominicans. While she was a mystic who had been graced with visions from a very early age, she was very much concerned about what was happening in the political and social world around her. Apart from her spiritual writings, she dictated letters to all kinds of influential people. She played a role in helping the papacy return to Rome after the so-called Avignon Exile. This came about because the French king Philip IV forced the deadlocked conclave in 1305 to elect the Archbishop of Bordeaux as Pope Clement V. This pope moved the Vatican court to Avignon in France. Seven popes reigned in Avignon, all French. Catherine of Siena was among those who influenced Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome in 1376. She was the wind of change that came from no one knew where and helped to restore some degree of integrity to the papacy. Today we should pray to Catherine as the new conclave begins and the process of electing a new pope begins. May the simple lifestyle of Pope Francis, as reflected in today's reading from Acts, be a legacy that can also live on in the process of finding his successor.