The mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena

Summary:

The socio-historical context

The 14th century was a very dark century due to material difficulties, political and social instability and religious anguish. The papacy moved to Avignon in 1309. Local wars raged in Italy, with unstable alliances. Armies of idle mercenaries ransacked, pillaged and murdered, increasing the sense of insecurity and fear. Famines and plagues were rife. This was the context in which Catherine was born in Siena in 1347, into a large family whose father was a cloth dyer. She did not learn to read or write, and later dictated all her letters.

The "preparatory" period in Catherine's life

Until the age of eighteen, she led a secluded life in her parents' home, with three aspects that stand out.

The first was the vision she had as a child, at the age of six. She saw Jesus in heaven, dressed in pontifical vestments and surrounded by Saints Peter, Paul and John. This vision left a deep impression on her, in the sense that, for her, Christ was the pontiff and the Pope was Christ on earth. Her response was to take a vow of virginity, which she had made from the age of seven, and which she kept despite her family's insistence that she marry.

The second concerns penance. Fasting, mortifications and asceticism made up her daily life. It was also at this time that she had a spiritual experience that she would never cease to teach: to retreat to an inner cell and dwell there securely with Jesus. As a child, she was given the use of a small room in which to devote herself to penance. But her refusal to cooperate in the family's search for a husband led to the room being taken away from her as a punishment, and she was given a number of household chores to help her forget her penances. This was an opportunity for her to serve: by devoting herself to her family, she imagined serving the Holy Family and the disciples. Above all, she realised that she didn't need a cell to find Christ, because he was present in the inviolable cell of her heart: In her Treatise of God's Providence, she said "that our Lord had taught her to build in her soul a private closet, strongly vaulted with the divine providence, and to keep herself always close and retired there; he assured her that by this means she should find peace and perpetual repose in her soul, which no storm or tribulation could disturb or interrupt."

It was then that her desire to become a Dominican took shape. She entered the Dominican Third Order at 18, donning the white habit and the black cloak, symbols of purity and death to the things of the world. In the next three years she spent her time in seclusion, prayer, and austerity. Christ came to visit her, taught her in a familiar way and "married her in the faith". This mystical wedding marked the end of the preparatory period. The Lord invited her to leave her life as a recluse and go out to meet people, in their miseries and sufferings.

The beginnings of her apostolic life

Catherine of Siena's sphere of influence continued to grow, from material poverty to intercession for peace and reconciliation. Her secret lay in one word: "voglio" ("I want"), the assurance that her will and God's were one and the same. Gradually, a few followers gathered around her, men and women, priests and religious. She was adressed as "mother" ("mamma"), even though she was only twenty years old and still as uneducated as before. Some of them became her secretaries and were able to write the letters she addressed to the two popes Gregory XI and Urban VI, to cardinals and bishops, to kings, princes, members of the clergy and people from all walks of life.

In the spring of 1374, Catherine made her first trip to Florence. The Dominicans appointed friar Raymond of Capua as her spiritual director. Her first diplomatic mission took place in 1375. The lordship of the city sent her to Pisa and Lucca to dissuade the leaders of these cities from joining the anti-papal league, and to persuade them to join the crusade project. On this mission, Catherine received the stigmata in the church of Santa Cristina in Pisa (according to the biography written by her confessor, these were only visible to herself per her request of God). In this way, the spiritual graces and the missions entrusted to her grew together.

The Pope's return to Rome

In 1376, at the request of the city of Florence, she travelled to Avignon to convince the Pope to lift the ban on the city. But what she really wanted was for the Pope to return to Rome. 

This was undoubtedly the secret of Catherine's fortitude: the firm conviction that she was doing God's will. In other words, her will and God's will were one and the same: If Gregory XI's will needed to be strengthened, he found in Catherine a woman with such a strong will that she could be firmly relied upon. It is well known that the Pope's entourage - in particular the French cardinals - were not in favour of a return to Rome, where insecurity reigned.

A few reconciliation embassies

1377 was another year marked by reconciliation, both diplomatic and political, but above all by the sacrament of penance. The itinerant mission of Catherine of Siena's "band" was given the necessary powers to absolve many sins. The results were eloquent, as her two confessors admitted they were tired after hours of confessing.

In 1378, the Pope sent Catherine as an ambassador to Florence to negotiate peace. She almost lost her life, narrowly escaping an attack and martyrdom, as she would later complain. But the peace was signed, and she could now devote herself to writing her book, The Dialogue.

A new pope; Catherine goes to Rome

Or so she thought, until Urban VI was elected Pope to succeed Gregory XI. Catherine was delighted by this election, seeing in the Archbishop of Bari the man capable of bringing about reform. But he soon proved to be unbearable, and the French cardinals elected another pope, arguing that the election of Urban VI had taken place under pressure from the Italian people, who absolutely wanted one of their own as pope. This left the Church with two popes: Urban VI and Clement VII. It was the beginning of a schism that lasted until 1417. Catherine, faithful to her position, was totally committed to the cause of Urban VI. She went to Rome at the request of the Pope, who wanted to have around him religious who were loyal to him.

It was in Rome that Catherine spent the last months of her life. She said that she felt Peter's bark weighing down on her shoulders. She was so exhausted that she wrote to Raymond of Capua that if he saw her making the daily journey from the Minerva to St Peter's - where she spent the day praying - he would see a dead woman walking. She gave her life for the Church, as she pointed out to her disciples: "Hold it to be true that in leaving my body, I have in truth consumed and given my life in the Church and for the Church."

She died on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33.

Beyond reasons to believe:

Catherine of Siena's life gives us an opportunity to see the history of the Church in the 14th century in a deeper light.

Going further:

The Life of St. Catherine of Siena: The Classic on Her Life and Accomplishments as Recorded by Her Spiritual Director by Raymond of Capua, TAN Books; 2003rd edition (May 1, 2009)

More information:

• The Dialogue of St. Catherine Of Siena: A Conversation with God on Living Your Spiritual Life to the Fullest (Tan Classics), TAN Books; New - Abridged edition (September 1, 1991)
• Saint Catherine of Siena: Mystic of Fire, Preacher of Freedom by Paul Murray OP, Word on Fire; 2nd ed. edition (May 31, 2020)

• The Letters of Saint Catherine of Siena,  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 17, 2016)