St. Catherine of Siena 2026
|
Dear Sisters,
Greetings of peace. The feast of Saint Catherine of Siena invites us to contemplate her life not merely as a historical figure, but as a contemporary companion whose wisdom challenges us in our effort to understand and deal with the complexities of today’s world. She stands out as a defender of truth, for her courage in the midst of a fractured Church and for her tireless work for unity. As a Doctor of the Church, she left us a profound legacy with great relevance both in spiritual life and in the history of the Church and the world. This relevance can be understood through three fundamental pillars: love of truth, active commitment, and the cultivation of the interior life. For Saint Catherine, love of truth is a spiritual experience that transforms one’s entire life. Truth is not possessed as an argument but lived in relationship with God, whom she identifies as Truth itself. Thus, loving the truth implies humility, self-knowledge, and charity toward others. An important aspect is that truth demands courage. It is not enough to recognize it inwardly; one must bear witness to it publicly when the common good requires it. The saint lived in a time of intense political and ecclesiastical upheaval, yet she never hesitated to speak the truth to those in power, convinced that the good of society and of the Church depends on honesty, integrity, and commitment to the common good. She teaches us that speaking the truth is a courageous duty, yet without aggression, because it is born of love. Her example reminds us that true dialogue does not consist in avoiding conflict, but in addressing it with charity and a sincere commitment to the good. A very remarkable trait of Saint Catherine is that her intense mystical life did not lead her to withdraw, but to engage deeply with the concrete challenges of her time. Her active commitment was not an addition to her spirituality, but a direct consequence of it: the more centered she was in God, the more responsible she felt for the world. Her spirituality was not confined to the cloister; she was a woman in the streets. She intervened directly in matters of great importance: writing letters to rulers, mediating conflicts between Italian cities, and speaking frankly to Pope Gregory XI, urging him to return to Rome for the good of the Church. Moreover, her commitment did not remain only at institutional or political levels. She saw the face of Christ in the poor, the sick, and prisoners. During epidemics and social crises, she personally cared for the sick, the poor, and the marginalized. This dimension of her life shows that she understood faith as something with real historical and social consequences, not merely personal. Perhaps it is good for us to ask from time to time: Does our faith truly translate into what we do? In a world where indifference can easily take root, the life of Saint Catherine is a model for embodying our faith by tending to the spiritual and physical wounds of those who suffer on the margins of our communities. Saint Catherine’s ability to face the complexity of her time did not come only from intuition, but from a refined interior life. For her, the cultivation of the interior life is the core from which everything else flows: discernment, word, action, and concrete charity. Perhaps her most enduring teaching is that of the “interior cell.” She spoke of entering the “interior cell” even amid the noise of the world. It is about creating an inner space of encounter with God that remains present in every circumstance. The soul needs recollection in order to know itself and to know God. Without this constant return inward, a person becomes scattered and loses clarity. For us, Saint Catherine’s invitation to cultivate interiority is more essential than ever. It is from this space of inner clarity that we find the strength to serve the world effectively, since love of neighbor cannot be sustained by goodwill alone. It requires a deeper source, and the interior life is precisely that wellspring; the more united we are with God, the more capable we become of loving without conditions. Without an interior life, all activity can degenerate into mere activism, a search for recognition, or exhaustion. Let us look at Saint Catherine and learn from her example: a life totally given to God, in which contemplation and action were fruitfully united. May we, like her, find the courage to set our hearts on fire with love for God and for our neighbor, working with dedication to build a world shaped by truth, solidarity, and profound unity. HAPPY FEAST OF SAINT CATHERINE! With a sisterly embrace and my prayers, Sor Mary Jeanet Pintacasi, OP Prioress General |
親愛的姐妹們:
願平安與你們同在。 聖加大利納(錫耶納的聖女加大利納)的慶日,邀請我們默觀她的一生,不僅把她 視為歷史人物,更視為一位當代的同行者;她的智慧向我們提出挑戰,促使我們理解並面對今日世界的複雜處境。她以捍衛真理而著稱,在教會分裂之際展現勇氣,並為合一不懈奮鬥。 作為教會聖師,她為我們留下了深遠的遺產,在靈修生活以及教會與世界的歷史中都具有重要意義。這份意義可從三個基本支柱來理解:對真理的熱愛、積極的承擔,以及內在生命的培養。 對聖女加大利納而言,愛真理是一種能轉化整個生命的靈性經驗。真理並非作為一種論證而被擁有,而是在與天主的關係中被活出來;她將天主認為是真理本身。因此,愛真理意味著謙卑、自我認識,以及對他人的愛德。另一個重要面向是:真理需要勇氣。不僅要在內心承認,更要在公益需要時勇敢作見證。聖女生活在政治與教會動盪的時代,卻從不猶豫向掌權者直言真理,因她深信社會與教會的福祉有賴於誠實、正直以及對公益善的承擔。她教導我們:說出真理是一項勇敢的責任,但不帶攻擊,因為它源自於愛。她的榜樣提醒我們,真正的對話不在於避免衝突,而在於以愛德面對衝突,並真誠致力於善。 聖女加大利納一個非常顯著的特質是:她深厚的神祕生活並未使她與世隔絕,反而使她更深地投入當時具體的挑戰之中。她的積極承擔並非靈修的附加,而是其直接的結果:她越以天主為中心,就越感到對世界負有責任。她的靈修不限於隱修院內;她是一位走入人群的女性。她直接參與重大事務:寫信給統治者,在義大利各城邦衝突中進行調解,並坦率地勸諫教宗額我略十一世返回羅馬,以造福教會。此外,她的承擔不是只停留在制度或權力層面,她更在窮人、病人與囚犯身上看見基督的面容。在瘟疫與社會危機期間,她親自照顧病患、貧困者與被邊緣化的人。這顯示她將信仰視為具有真實歷史與社會後果的實踐,而不只是個人的經驗。或許我們可以時常自問:我們的信仰是否真正落實在我們的行動中?在一個冷漠容易滋長的世界裡,聖女加大利納的生命提醒我們,要以具體行動活出信仰,關懷我們團體邊緣中受苦者在身心靈上的創傷。 聖女加大利納面對其時代複雜性的能力,不僅來自直覺,更源於一種經過鍛鍊的內在生命。對她而言,內在生命的培養是一切的核心:分辨、言語、行動以及具體的愛德都由此而生。她最持久的教導之一,是關於「內心的斗室」。她教導人在世界喧囂中也要進入這「內心的斗室」,在內心創造一個與天主相遇的空間,使之在任何情況下都持續存在。靈魂需要回歸內在,以認識自己並認識天主;若缺乏這樣持續的回歸,人便會分散,失去清晰。對我們而言,聖女加大利納邀請我們培養內在生命,這比以往任何時候都更為重要。正是在這樣清明的內在空間中,我們才能找到有效服務世界的力量,因為愛近人並不能單靠善意維持,而需要更深的泉源;而內在生命正是這股泉源。與天主越親密,我們就越能無條件地去愛。反之,缺乏內在生命,一切活動都可能淪為忙亂、追求認可,或最終耗竭。 讓我們仰望聖女加大利納,學習她的生命榜樣:一個完全奉獻於天主的生命,使默觀與行動得以豐碩結合。願我們如同她一樣,懷著對天主與近人的愛而燃燒,並以奉獻的心志努力建設一個以真理、團結與深刻合一為特徵的世界。 聖加大利納瞻禮喜樂 ! 收納我強有力的擁抱和祈禱, Sor Mary Jeanet Pintacasi, OP 總會長 |