The Heart of the Church

St. Catherine of Siena is one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. She possessed rare gifts of both spirit and intellect and contributed considerably to the Church in numerous ways, including her directive for the Pope to return from Avignon, France to Rome. She had magnificent spiritual visions and was an extraordinary mystic of the Church. She was proclaimed a “Doctor of the Church” after she was canonized a saint and is one of only four female doctors of the Church in history. She was also a recipient of the stigmata.

St. Catherine kept up considerable correspondence with a number of people throughout her life. One of those people included Stefan Maconi, a close disciple and mentee of St. Catherine. The below is a letter from St. Catherine to Stefan, encouraging him in holiness.

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In the Name of Jesus Christ crucified and of sweet Mary:

Dearest son in Christ Jesus: I, Catherine, servant and slave of the servants of Jesus Christ, write to you in His precious Blood, desiring to see you cut your bonds—not merely set about loosening them. Loosening takes time, and time is not guaranteed, it passes quickly. It is better, then, to cut them thoroughly, with true and holy zeal.

Oh, how blessed my soul will be when I see that you have severed yourself from the world in both action and thought, and from your fleshly instincts, and have united yourself to eternal life—a union so joyful, so sweet, that it quenches all bitterness and makes every heavy burden light! Who, then, would stop us from drawing the sword of hate and love, and cutting self from self with the hand of free will? Once that sword has made its cut, it holds the power to unite what truly matters.

But you may ask me, dearest son: "Where can I find this sword and how is it forged?" I tell you—you’ll find it in the cell of self-knowledge, where you begin to hate your sin and frailty, and grow in love for your Creator and your neighbor, alongside true and sincere virtue. And where is it forged? In the fire of divine charity, on the anvil of the Body of the sweet and loving Word, the Son of God.

So how ignorant—how worthy of rebuke—is the one who possesses such weapons for defense and throws them away! I do not want you to be among the ignorant, but rather to rise in full manhood and respond to Mary, who calls you with great love.

The blood of the holy martyrs buried here in Rome, who gave their lives with burning love for the love of Life Himself, cries out with longing. It summons you—and the others—to come and suffer for the glory and praise of God’s Name and Holy Church, and to prove your virtue. God has called His servants to this Holy Land, His garden, saying, "Now is the time for them to come, to test the gold of virtue."

Let us not pretend to be deaf. If our ears are stopped by cold indifference, let us wash in the Blood of Christ, hot and burning with divine fire, and our deafness will be taken away. Hide yourself in the wounds of Christ crucified. Flee the world. Leave your father's house. Take refuge in the pierced side of Christ crucified, that you may arrive in the Land of Promise.

I say the same to Pietro: Place yourself at the table of the Cross. There, refreshed by Christ’s Blood, take nourishment for souls—enduring pain, shame, insults, ridicule, hunger, thirst, and nakedness. Like the sweet Paul, the Chosen Vessel, glory in the shame of Christ crucified. If you cut yourself free, as I’ve said, you will know the glory of endurance. If not, it will only be suffering for you—and even your own shadow will frighten you.

I long to see you cut yourself free—not just slowly loosen the bonds—so that you may run swiftly. Clothe yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified. I will say no more.

Remain in the holy and sweet grace of God.