{"id":20749,"date":"2023-04-11T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotiontuesday-11-april-2023-st-catherine-of-siena"},"modified":"2023-04-11T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T05:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-11-april-2023-st-catherine-of-siena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-11-april-2023-st-catherine-of-siena\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion\u00a0Tuesday 11 April 2023 St Catherine of Siena"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo – Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/span>
 \n<\/p>\n

Catherine of Siena was born to middle class parents – her father had his own cloth dying business and her mother was the daughter of a local poet.  Lapa, Catherine\u2019s mother, already had 22 children when Catherine and her twin were born; sadly her twin died.  Following a vision of Christ Catherine vowed, aged just 7 years old, to devote her life to God.  When Catherine was 16 her older sister, Bonaventura,  died in childbirth and her parents wished her to marry Bonaventura\u2019s widower.  Catherine opposed this and following her sister\u2019s example went on a strict fast as a protest to her parents\u2019 plans.  She also cut her long hair short as a protest against her mother\u2019s chiding to improve her appearance so as to find a husband.  Although opposed to marriage Catherine did not want to enter a convent and, instead, became a lay member of the Dominican order – though feigned illness was used to persuade her mother to let her join.  This lay movement, the Mantallate, taught Catherine to read and write; she lived in near total solitude and prayer in her home and refused most of the food provided for her.  Her visions continued and, encouraged by her confessor, she entered public life and soon drew a following urging for reform of the Church and a more godly clergy.  She tried to convince the last Avignon based pope, Gregory XI to return to Rome and she was used by a new pope, Urban VI to bolster his legitimacy.  Her life was considered holy as her limited diet meant she ceased to menstruate (and so was seen to have escaped the \u2018limitations’ of her sex) and her visions were orthodox comprising Christ and the saints.)  Her fasting, now we\u2019d call it anorexia, led to her premature death at the age of just 33.  She was declared a saint in 1461.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 12: 2 – 4<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven\u2014whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.  And I know that such a person\u2014whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows \u2014 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Catherine used fasting and refusing to be attractive to men as ways to find autonomy in a patriarchal world.  The visions of this deeply religious woman  increased her reputation for sanctity.   Making the most of the opportunities provided to her, she ended up goading one pope to return to Rome and bolstered the contested claims of his successor.  Sadly, the source of her authority – her ability to fast – led to her premature death.  Now we\u2019d say she suffered from anorexia; even then her friends implored her to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wonder if she:<\/span> <\/p>\n