Catherine of Siena: Passion for the Truth Compassion for Humanity

Catherine of Siena: Passion for the Truth Compassion for Humanity: Selected Spiritual WritingsCatherine Benincasa, named the "Doctor of the Church," lived during the fourteenth century in Italy. She was born in 1347 and grew up during a period almost identical to ours: one of war, famine, homelessness, confusion, social upheaval, crisis in the church, and a plague of unknown origin and having no known cure. Her theological writings applied to her own time, but also apply to our modern situation. We should be especially attentive to her role as a peacemaker and her writings that pertain to the subject of peace.Catherine dedicated her life to becoming a "Mantellata" with the Dominican Order. Although she declined to move into the monastery near the church of St. Dominic in Siena, she dressed in their white tunic with a black mantle and followed the rules of the Dominican Order. Upon joining the order, she went home and confined herself to solitary prayer for a period of three years. She only ventured back into the world upon a command from God that to love him, she must love her neighbor. If she truly loved her neighbor, she must put forth an effort to help relieve their suffering.This woman saw her role in life to be one of messenger to the people. She maintained that love of God and love of neighbor were synonymous and that you could not have one without the other. Likewise, they increased and decreased in equal increments. This was the basis for all her testimonials and teachings. She spent many years of her life as a peacemaker and tried to teach people that Jesus was the greatest proponent of peace through all history. To live a good Christian and walk in His footsteps, we must seek peace!The writings in this book clearly demonstrate Catherine's intense love and passion for the Lord. Her words are exuberant and her writings intensely ecstatic, filled with passionate cries of servitude, friendship, and love. As you read them, you will become caught up in the spirit of worship. You will become engulfed in the flames of her passion for all things right and just. There are so many strong messages and lessons in this book. For example, Catherine explains how to love your neighbor, have charity, and be an obedient servant to the Lord.These writings are equally as applicable today as they were during the fourteenth century. In our time of confusion, this is a book filled with logical answers that are simple to understand. It should be of great benefit to every reader.

This small book is an excellent introduction to St. Catherine of Siena and her writings. The letters she wrote contain practicle advice for anyone in any era. In the "Dialogue", Catherine asked questions of God and His answers and are truly profound! St. Catherine was uneducated so her words are simple and easy to understand. It is as if God is sitting down at the kitchen table and answering universal questions about why we were created and why we suffer so much. The "Dialogue" makes sense of so many seemingly unaswerable questions, that it can help anyone of any religion in their spiritual understanding of creation. I was so deeply affected by this book, that I had to read the "Dialogue" in it's entirety. A must for all spiritual seekers!