Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue

I am sure it is very good writing from an esteemed Doctor of the Catholic Church, but I found it a bit much; not as readable as I thought it would be.

I highly recommend this book to any person seeking to be inspired to improve their lives, not through fear of chatisement, but due to being motivated by love. This is the first book that I have ever read, where I wanted to write the author, or in this case it would be the interpretor, and to thank her for the wisdom and insight that her work gave me. Just reflecting on the book gives me a warm feeling. Catherine of Siena was a mystic who claimed to receive advice from God, and who also worked miracles in her time. This book relates the advice in an incredibly accessiblt tone. She writes about issues related to every aspect of life, our association with one another, and how to please God. Her advice is helpful to people from all walks of life, the lay person and religious as well. Central to her message is the great love that God has for us all. That God loved us before we knew and loved Him, and the onyl way to give likewise such love to strangers who know not and possibly will not love us. She writes too about one of the greatest ways that we can offend God is by not believing that he has sufficient mercy to forgive us our sins, if we are contrite and ask him for forgiveness, because this belief contradicts the notion that God's mercy and love for us is great. She writes that sin is horrible becuase it ofends God's goodness, and it harms our neighbor. She cites many biblical sources that reflect the advice that she has recieved. It seems cliche to hail a book as life-changing but this book greatly transformed me and my relationship with God for the better. It is an inspiring and uplifting read, and may be particularly useful to those experiencing spiritual dryness.

A true inspiration to really live the Catholic Faith and to Listen to the Established Law God has set forth forever. For the book may seem for the time written but in truth, this is Eternity speaking ! Forever, speaking. This Book so moved me that I changed my life and have such a deep respect for God our Father and his established Laws put forth for ever. Thanks !

The first two sections of St. Catherine's "Dialogue", the Prologue and the Way of Perfection, are very powerful statements about our relationship to God. In the Prologue we, through Catherine, are speaking to God by expressing our hopes and fears. But in the Way of Perfection it is God who is speaking about His hopes and fears for us and for our society. Thus, the work of Catherine truly represents a dialogue between two parties - us and God. The remarkable characteristic about this dialogue is that it is similar to the model for dialogue promoted by today's counsellors and psychologists: the model where a staff member first listens to the client before responding with professional expertise in order to respect the freedom of the client. Since her model for dialogue is similar to that of contemporary counsellors, Catherine can be said to be very relevant today.In the Prologue Catherine opens the discussion by expressing some very human and normal desires. She hopes for the good of herself, of the Church, and of the world. Catherine even manages to present to God a special intention which affirms the Catholic teaching that God knows not only universal, cosmic events, but also ordinary, everyday particular circumstances. The petitions of Catherine reveal two characteristics of her relationship with God. First, by her example Catherine teaches that God is able to relate to us humans on our level. She was able to tell God about human events and affairs. Secondly, her action of asking God for things is a sign that Catherine had a great trust in God and in His love. She would not have made those prayers in the Prologue if she thought God was unconcerned and indifferent to our well-being. Consequently, Catherine shows not only her fragile, human side, but also her trust and hope.The Way of Perfection is the section where God speaks to His dialogical partner in reply. This section is longer than the Prologue, yet this should be of no surprise since God obviously has more to say than Catherine. In this section the distinction between virtuous and non-virtuous people is made. The difference is that, unlike those who live in vice, virtuous people have an awakened conscience, appreciate the fragrant smell of virtue, and take joy in the company of other believers (p.30). And because the life of virtue is superior to its opposite, the life of vice, just as love is superior to hatred (p.34), God desires virtue for all people. "... I look on them and give them light (p.30)." A finer distinction is made between the virtuous and the truly virtuous. The virtuous are those who enjoy the presence of God yet take it for granted. They do not make perfect contrition for their sins. Consequently, their sins are forgiven, but not the penalty due to their sins. "...These receive no pardon of the penalty but only of the sin itself (p.31)." But the truly virtuous are those who not only participate in the presence of God, they also are disposed to receive this

This book has been important to me. From it, I learned that loving the LORD, my GOD, is manifested by the love which I exercise in the intercourse with my neighbour. This was already a well-known idea by the time of Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). It is articulated in the first epistle, chapter 4, from John. Catherine puts this virtue into action in her role as a diplomat for Pope Gregory XI. She was a determined woman of great spiritual fortitude, and is an inspiration to me. Catherine joins the acts of loving God with loving our neighbour. She does this by setting the will to love our neighbor as an attribute of the love which we have for God. Her argument to support this premise is profoundly logical. In brief, we cannot love God as God loves us because she loved us before we loved her. We manifest the will of God by loving our neighbor, even before our neighbour loves us. Since this goes against our natural instincts as humans, it must be the love of God which is at work. In this way, we are loving God as he loves us, and in this way, his love is glorified. In Catherine's own words, as she relates a conversation she received, "And I, [the LORD, our GOD,] would have thee know that just as every imperfection and perfection is acquired from Me, so is it manifested by means of the neighbour...I require that you should love Me with the same love with which I love you. This indeed you cannot do, because I loved you without being loved...Therefore to Me, in person you cannot repay the love which I require of you and I have placed you in the midst of your fellows, that you may do to them that which you cannot do to Me, that is to say, that you may love your neighbour of free grace, without expecting any return from him, and what you do to him, I count as done to Me, which My Truth [the Christ, Jesus] showed forth when He said to Paul, My persecutor == Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou Me?"This logic appeals to me, and has given me strength in my spiritual relationship. It is not easy to love the LORD, and even more difficult, sometimes, to love those we see everyday. Catherine of Siena has provided me with some tools that help me to make that happen. If you are interested in a deeper spiritual relationship, in the spiritual thoughts of a politically powerful woman, or in mysticism as it was practiced in 14th century Italy, this book will be interesting to you.