As we consider the nature of spiritual growth, we always
return to Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).
Empowered by a life of contemplative prayer and mystical experience, she
devoted herself to active care for the poor and sick. She became an advisor on political and
religious matters, and in 1376 she journeyed to Avignon Rome
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O eternal God, light
surpassing all other light because all light comes forth from you! O fire surpassing every fire because you
alone are the fire that burns without consuming! You consume whatever sin and selfishness you
find in the soul. Yet your consuming
does not distress the soul but fattens her with insatiable love, for though you
satisfy her she is never sated but longs for you constantly. The more she possesses you the more she seeks
you, and the more she seeks and desires you the more she finds and enjoys you,
high eternal fire, abyss of charity!
O supreme eternal Good!
What moved you, infinite God, to enlighten me, your finite creature,
with the light of your truth? You
yourself, the very fire of love, you yourself are the reason. For it always has been and always is love
that constrains you to create us in your own image and likeness, and to show us
mercy by giving your creatures infinite and immeasurable graces.
O Goodness surpassing all goodness! You alone are supremely good, yet you gave us
the Word, your only-begotten Son, to keep company with us, though we are filth
and darksomeness. What was the reason
for this? Love. For you loved us before we existed. O good, O eternal greatness, you made
yourself lowly and small to make us great!
No matter where I turn, I find nothing but your deep burning charity.
Can I, wretch that I am, repay the graces and burning
charity you have shown and continue to show, such blazing special love beyond
the general love and charity you show to all your creatures? No, only you, most gentle loving Father, only
you can be my acknowledgement and my thanks.
The affection of your very own charity will offer you thanks, for I am
she who is not. And if I should claim to
be anything of myself, I should be lying through my teeth! I should be a liar and a daughter of the
devil, who is the father of lies. For
you alone are who you are, and whatever being I have and every other gift of
mine I have from you, and you have given it all to me for love, not because it
was my due.
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You will also note the thinking which influenced the
Moravians and John Wesley.
Yours & His,
DED
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