Saint Talk: St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church

Drawing by Jason Bach 

Doctor of the Church

St. Catherine of Siena is one of three women elevated to the title of Doctor of the Church. She was a 14th Century mystic who had visions of Christ and Mary beginning at an early age. Later in life, she joined the Dominicans as a tertiary or Third Order lay member.

The Dialogue and the Invisible Stigmata
She is best known for her work the Dialogue and for being instrumental in convincing the pope to return to Rome. She suffered from stigmata, although invisible to all, until her death when the wounds were revealed. She is also one of the incorruptibles. Today, we celebrate her feast day

"Do not be satisfied with little things, because God wants great things!"  Letter T127

Pope Gregory XI
St. Catherine of Siena is a  Doctor of the Church and patroness of Italy and also of my home parish in Carrollton, Texas. St. Catherine is one of only three women doctors of the Church, along with St. Teresa de Avila and St. Therese de Lisieux. St. Catherine is best known for convincing Pope Gregory XI to move back to Rome from Avignon where the papacy had been displaced because of wars between the Italian states.

Incorruptible
Though she never received a formal education, scholars contend that St. Catherine "was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day." St. Catherine also suffered from an invisible stigmata and in 1430, her body was discovered incorrupt, fifty years after her death.

Video: Apostleship of Prayer

St. Isidore of Seville: Patron of the Internet

St. Isidore, depicted by Murillo

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Isidore of Seville, Doctor of the Church and Patron of the Internet.

St. Isidore lived from 560 – 636 and is referred to as the Educational Doctor because he was a teacher, reformer and prolific writer. His writings include a dictionary, a 20 volume encyclopedia that included all that was known at that time and a complete hisotry of the Goths. He was once described by the historian Montalember as "the last scholar of the ancient world."

Isidore was not always a great student. He actually struggled with his studies until he offered up his academic challenges to the Lord. After this, he became an acclaimed scholar who was also known for his holiness. He is role model for those who seek to learn and to become holy. I for one am going to include him in my "board of spiritual directors," especially for my IPT studies. Because of his dedication to education and the pursuit of knowledge, St. Isidore has been considered the Patron of the Internet since 1999.

St. Isidore wrote about the pursuit of knowledge in his Book of Maxims. In particular he distinguished between reading for knowledge and prayerful reflection for spiritual gain:

Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading. If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned. Reading the holy Scriptures confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man’s attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God. The conscientious reader will be more concerned to carry out what he has read than merely to acquire knowledge of it. In reading we aim at knowing, but we must put into practice what we have learned in our course of study. The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest. The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tries hard is rewarded, equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth. Learning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches the heart. But when God’s grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into the heart.

Saint Talk: St. Teresa de Avila

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. I like to call her the original flying nun because often while she was praying before the blessed sacrament, she would enter a state of ecstasy and begin to levitate. 

St. Teresa is best known as a reformer of the Carmelite order and a spiritual mystic. Her spiritual classic, Interior Castle is widely read and considered a monumental examination on meditative prayer. In addition to her writings on meditative prayer, St. Teresa had a tremendous devotion to St. Joseph and wrote about it in her autobiography.

St. Teresa's life was the subject of a Spanish film entitled, Teresa de Jesus which has recently been made available in the United States by Ignatius Press. Below I have included a video from Arcadia Films, Saints Speak series.

The Little Flower

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux who is one of the most beloved saints of our time. She is a Doctor of the Church, patron of missionaries and author of the Story of A Soul.

One of my favorite accounts about St. Therese is one describing her interaction with a fellow nun who was especially difficult to get along with. St. Therese's response was to simply be nicer to that nun and smile at her as often as possible. There is a great scene in the movie Therese (now available for streaming on Netflix) depicting this story. The other nun is so moved by Therese's kindness that she can't help but ask, "Why do you like me so much." Although Therese doesn't specifically say so in the scene, it's because she sees Christ in that nun.

Herein lies one of the simply ways which we can model the Little Flower. I am sure each of you reading this post, knows at least one person you work with or encounter regularly who challenges your ability to be friendly.

Give St. Therese's "little way" a try and enjoy this video from Arcadia Films on St. Therese.

Saint Talk: Back to School

Most school districts and colleges across the United States, school started last week or in the coming week. My students reported to class last week. I started my own studies earlier in the month. Quite frankly I have found it difficult to balance the reading and writing requirements with my duties at work. Yesterday, while attempting to study at our local library, I had an epiphany - why not try praying before you study? I remembered a prayer book my mother gave me years ago when I went off for college. In it, was a wonderful prayer by Saint Thomas Aquinas (Church Doctor and genius) for studying. I have included the text below.

Prayer Before Study

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance. Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Fathers Know Best

If you have ever watched the program, The Journey Home on EWTN, you will discover a trend among the guests who share how they have entered into the Catholic Church. (I highly recommend watching this program; it will help you in your discussions with our non-Catholic brothers and sisters.) Many of them, including a great number of former Protestant ministers, were led back to the Church through their study of the Early Church Fathers. 

Jimmy Akin's new book, The Fathers Know Best collects a number of writings and quotations from the church fathers. It is a great read for learning about the early years of the Church and how the leaders dealt with many heresies that arose during that time (some still lingering around to this day) and how that resulted in councils and creeds. It's important to note that one of the great lessons to learn from the work of the Fathers of the Church is that the Church's teaching has been consistent since its inception. The statements were written in response and to clarify, not to create new teaching. 

My favorite statement about the Church Fathers was one made by a Catholic apologist who said, "would you rather heed the words of someone from the 1500's or someone who was around in the early years of the Church"?

If you are interested in reading more about Church history here are some recommendations:

The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin

Triumph, The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church by H.W. Crocker III

Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know by Diane Moczar