A parishioner, born and raised in Siena, told me this morning that the bells would be ringing out their joy today to feast Caterina, Siena's doctor of the Church.Suzanne Noffke, O.P., in her fine "Introduction" to Paulist's Classics of Western Spirituality edition of The Dialogue writes:

Theologically there is nothing new or original. Catherine is completely immersed in the main current of Catholic teaching ... What is original in Catherine is her capacity for fresh and vivid expression of the tradition. The scholars taught and wrote still in Latin. Yet all that she wrote and dictated was in her own Sienese dialect, nel suo volgare.

And here is an example of her dialogue with the Lord:

In mercy you cleansed us in the blood; in mercy you kept company with your creatures. O mad lover! It was not enough for you to take on our humanity: You had to die as well! Nor was death enough: You descended to the depths to summon our holy ancestors and fulfill your truth and mercy in them.I see your mercy pressing you to give us even more when you leave yourself with us as food to strengthen our weakness so that we, forgetful fools, should be forever reminded of your goodness. Every day you give us this food, showing us yourself in the sacrament of the altar within the mystic body of holy Church. And what has done this? Your mercy.

"O mad Lover!" -- "O Pazzo d'Amore!"

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a longtime Commonweal contributor.

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