Today is April 29, the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church.
Continuing with the story of Nicodemus in John, we read at today’s Mass, “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.” (Jn 3:13).
Today, we celebrate the radiant witness of one of the Church’s great mystics, teachers and saints: St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, Dominican Tertiary and fearless servant of Christ. A woman ablaze with divine love, Catherine gave her life in contemplation of the Lord’s passion and in tireless service to the Church.
Catherine lived in 14th-century Italy, a time of spiritual and political chaos. Yet from her small cell in Siena, she entered into a deep, mystical dialogue with God. Her most famous work, “The Dialogue,” records the conversations she had with the Lord through prayer. There, God the Father presents to her a powerful image: the soul must cross the stormy river of life, churned by sin and confusion, and he has given us a bridge so that we may safely pass. That bridge is Christ.
A bridge from sin to salvation
And this is no abstract image. For Catherine, the bridge is Christ crucified. We ascend his body, beginning at his feet, wounded for our sake. We draw near to his pierced side, the wellspring of mercy. And we move toward his mouth — Christ the Word, the “First Truth Speaking,” as Catherine calls him. Christ is the bridge from sin to salvation, from despair to divine love.
This image beautifully mirrors today’s Gospel. No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven. Only Jesus can carry us home. Only the Son who descended in love can lift us up in glory.
Catherine reminds us that we do not ascend to heaven by our own strength. Our sin separates us from God, and yet God, in his mercy, builds a way back. He covers that bridge with the Church and her sacraments. He fortifies it with the walls of virtue, held firm by his own blood.
May we have a portion of Catherine’s passionate love for Christ and a share in her courage to boldly proclaim the truth.
Let us pray,
O God, who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service or your Church, grant, through her intercession, that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
