Catherine of Siena, Overflowing with Love

Catherine of Siena, Overflowing with Love

            I have read The Dialogue of Catherine of Siena, and her writing never ceases to inspire me. In this selection from Dialogue, Catherine starts by using the illustration of the bridge. This bridge is the connection between the soul and God. There are three stairs leading up to the bridge. The first is affections, “For just as the feet carry the body, the affections carry the soul” (264). When I direct my attention to the heart of Jesus on the cross, I then feel the love in my own heart. This is the stair of humility, and it leads to the second stair of love, and the third stair of union with Christ (265).

            Catherine states that the “human heart is always drawn by love” (265). The heart’s powers are then united to Christ in his name, and every action henceforth will be drawn into unification with God’s love (265). This deep statement is worthy of contemplation. If I take the three steps onto that bridge between God and myself, my heart will desire what God desires – love. And that love will affect my will. My will, when surrendered to God, draws me into that place where I am unified with my Savior’s love and mercy.

            Catherine’s further illustrations are the stones of virtue that line the bridge (266). These virtues are life-giving in that all virtues stem from Jesus (266). The stones (virtues) hold up the bridge (path to God) and guide me to his presence. The bridge then ends with a gate, built by Jesus’ blood – his mercy, that allows me into God’s presence (266). These illustrations go on, and help me to ponder my life and how God is leading me on my bridge toward Him.

All references with page numbers are from Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, Revised and expanded (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2005).