April 29th, 2020
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Wednesday Words 3rd Easter 4-29-20
Exodus 19: 16 – 25 Psalm 38 Psalm 119: 25 – 48 Colossians 1: 15 – 23 Matthew 3: 13 – 17
Remembering St. Catherine of Siena
In one of those wonderful coincidences that God often uses to teach us, today, April 29th, is the feast day for St. Catherine of Siena. Born March 25th, 1347, Catherine arrived while the Black Plague was ravaging the world – in fact, her birth came the same year that the Black Plague arrived in her home country of Italy.
Catherine was the 22nd child of 25 born to her parents. As was often true in that time, half of her siblings died in childhood. Even Catherine’s twin sister died in infancy.
As a child, Catherine took her faith seriously, having her first vision of God when she was just 5 years old. At age 7, she promised God that she would devote her life to serving God. When Catherine turned 16, an older sister died in childbirth, an event of great sorrow to Catherine. Her parents thought it a good idea for Catherine to marry her sister’s bereft husband, but Catherine refused. She went on a hunger strike in protest and she cut off her long beautiful hair so that she would be less attractive to any prospective husband. Fortunately, her family realized that Catherine was determined and they relented, allowing her to live as she chose in the family home.
It is interesting that Catherine resisted marriage as well as the call to become a nun. She chose instead to join the Third Order of St. Dominic, a society that allowed a religious, celibate life outside a convent. Some of the other Third Order sisters taught her to read and write, giving her the skills she would later use to great influence.
At age 21, Catherine had another vision of Christ which she described as entering into a mystical marriage with Christ. In this vision, Jesus also to her to return to the community to work among the poor and the sick.
There is so much more to St. Catherine of Siena’s life, but let us stop here. Catherine was born in the middle of the Black Plague – think of that. The Black Plague lasted from 1346 to 1353, killing up to 60% of the population of Europe. Her father’s business was dying and trading fabrics which meant that the family was not poor, but with so many children their life was not easy. The mere fact of death upon death upon death around them had a deep impact on Catherine’s heart and mind.
Our experience with Covid-19 right now is changing our lives – both individually and as a church community. Many of us are vulnerable to infections on a good day, even more so now as it seems infection surrounds us everywhere we go. As the theme song for the TV show “Monk” sings: it’s a jungle out there!
Hearing about saints who walk directly into the middle of disease makes me uncomfortable. That is a level of bravery and service that I am not sure I could muster. But each day on the news I am seeing doctors, nurses and health care workers who do exactly that because they feel a call to serve. For them, the desire to be of service is fulfilled only in their attention to the health and wellness of others.
As we feel ourselves changing, I believe we are called to examine those changes in the light of God’s calling to each of us. We may not have had miraculous visions, but we have been called by God as God’s children to bring God’s kingdom to life right here, right now. There are questions we should be asking our selves and talking about with each other. Some of these are:
What are we doing that we should do more of?
What are we doing that makes a difference in this community?
How can I fulfill my own call from God within this church?
What changes can I undertake that will cause Jesus to be more visible in my life?
None of us are likely to be nominated for sainthood with a capital “S”. But we are all saints with a small “s”. Our church is named ALL SAINTS because while we honor those whose lives have been exceptional in virtue and courage, faithfulness and service, AND we are called to be our own kind of saint before God. As we live and serve together, we can change together, grow closer to each other and to Christ Jesus. We can live into the joy and assurance of Christ’s Resurrection together.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
