OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST

FEAST OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN, DOCTOR

Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke,OP

1 Jn 1:5-2:2; Ps 103:1-4,8-9,13-14,17-18; Mt 11:25-30

Theme: Our Participation in the Mystery of Christ

The analogy of the Vine and the branches employed by our Lord to enlighten us on the mystery of our relationship with him helps us to understand how we participate in his mystery. Since His humanity is the principle of our new life of faith, our union with him brings us to share his divinity. We underscored the Holy Spirit as the most sublime flow coming from his divinity through his exalted humanity to us, his members. Given that the Spirit is consciousness, it implies he dwells within us and in our consciousness through his Spirit. The Spirit is the basis of our communion with the Lord and one another. Consciousness of this fact brings the awareness of living in the Light. “God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we are in union with God while we are living in darkness, we are lying because we are not living the truth.” The spiritual life is lived in the presence of God and under his illumination. Hence, we cannot deceive ourselves that we are living the truth when we are not. But a Christian is aware of the frequent movement of our fallen nature, even while in his presence. This is why we frequently confess our sins to him who knows us and instituted the Sacrament of confession for us.

Even before the opportunity to avail ourselves of the grace of the Sacrament, we constantly bring our weaknesses and failures before him in the interiority of his divine presence in us. The advantage of our communion with the light is much. He not only enlightens us, but he also forms us into lights. “But if we live our lives in the light, as he is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” This ascent to the Light through constant confession of our weakness makes us understand his role as the advocate with the Father. He washes our sins away with his blood, which pleads for us before the heavenly Father. “He is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the world’s.” Recognising what the Lord has become for us and doing for us every day, we continually sing of his mercies and compassion to us sinners. Thus, the Psalmist urges his soul to give thanks to him. “My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.”

This way of ascent to the holy mountain of Sion characterised the life of St. Catherine of Siena. She was born in 1347 and died in 1380. She joined the Third Order Dominicans in her teens and lived in seclusion in her family house, seeking the holiness of life. She once complained to our Lord about her lack of time to pray because of her preoccupation with serving so many visitors who came to see her father. The Lord urged her to serve each of the visitors as if she were serving him, which would help her to continue in prayer even while doing her lawful duty in the house. This shows the presence of our Lord with us always; we should do well to enjoy it at every moment. In 1370 our Lord commanded her in a vision to leave her life of seclusion and attend to the needs of the Church and the State at that time. She attained the height of spiritual perfection and mystical union. Following the Lord's will, she immersed herself in public life and corresponded with the Pope and many public figures. She did all these with a deep love for God and her neighbour.

Let us pray: O God, you set St. Catherine on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service of your Church, grant, through her intercession, that we may participate in the mystery of Christ and exult in the revelation of his glory.