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118.1
First Point
Saint
Catherine had such a special love for purity that she made a vow of
virginity when only seven years old. To do that is to be specially favored
by grace and to perform heroic acts of virtue even in childhood. With time
this virtue grew so strong in her that when her parents proposed to her a
very advantageous marriage she refused and never wanted even to hear it
mentioned again. This angered her parents against her so much that they
obliged her to do all the lowliest and most difficult household chores.
She was very happy about this and endured with the greatest patience all
the ill-treatment they inflicted on her at the time. She contented herself
with setting up a sort of little oratory in her heart, where she withdrew
to console herself with God.
If, because you are aiming to do good and to work for your
perfection, you are made to suffer insults and scorn, would you be ready
to put up with such treatment patiently? It is on such occasions that we
see if our virtue is solid.
118.2 Second Point
This
saint made use of austerities to help her preserve the treasure of her
purity. Her austerity was so extraordinary that she can be said to have
carried it to excess. For three years she spoke to no one except her
confessor. Every day she took the discipline for an hour and a half; she
wore an iron chain on her body, slept sitting only in a chair, never ate
meat, and drank only water. On one occasion she did great violence to
herself by sucking the pus that came from the sore of a sick person. She
endured patiently a calumny spread by an invalid woman whom she nursed.
When Jesus Christ asked her to choose between a gold crown and one made of
thorns, she chose the thorns.
Would you make a similar choice? When will you love mortification
and suffering as this saint did?
118.3 Third Point
To
reward her for so many trials and so much mortification, God favored Saint
Catherine with such consolations that it can be said of her that having
participated in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, she merited to have some
share in his glorious life[i]
even in this world. When her parents maltreated her and kept her in a
state of humiliation, she enjoyed the happiness of conversing interiorly
with God and of being consoled by him. During the time of her profound
silence, Jesus Christ often came to visit her and talked familiarly with
her. After she had sucked the pus out of the sore, as we mentioned, Jesus
Christ allowed her to drink a sweet liquor flowing from the wound in his
side. After that, she was almost constantly caught up in ecstasy.
This is how God gives even in this life the hundredfold of what
we do for him.[ii]
Oh! how this should spur you on to suffer willingly for the love of God!
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