THE DIALOGUE OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA A TREATISE OF DIVINE
PROVIDENCE How a soul, elevated by desire of the honor of God, and
of the salvation of her neighbors, exercising herself in humble
prayer, after she had seen the union of the soul, through love,
with God, asked of God four requests. The soul, who is lifted by a
very great and yearning desire for the honor of God and the
salvation of souls, begins by exercising herself, for a certain
space of time, in the ordinary virtues, remaining in the cell of
self-knowledge, in order to know better the goodness of God towards
her. This she does because knowledge must precede love, and only
when she has attained love, can she strive to follow and to clothe
herself with the truth. But, in no way, does the creature receive
such a taste of the truth, or so brilliant a light therefrom, as by
means of humble and continuous prayer, founded on knowledge of
herself and of God; because prayer, exercising her in the above
way, unites with God the soul that follows the footprints of Christ
Crucified, and thus, by desire and affection, and union of love,
makes her another Himself. Christ would seem to have meant this,
when He said: To him who will love Me and will observe My
commandment, will I manifest Myself; and he shall be one thing with
Me and I with him. In several places we find similar words, by
which we can see that it is, indeed, through the effect of love,
that the soul becomes another Himself. That this may be seen more
clearly, I will mention what I remember having heard from a
handmaid of God, namely, that, when she was lifted up in prayer,
with great elevation of mind, God was not wont to conceal, from the
eye of her intellect, the love which He had for His servants, but
rather to manifest it; and, that among other things, He used to
say: "Open the eye of your intellect, and gaze into Me, and you
shall see the beauty of My rational creature. And look at those
creatures who, among the beauties which I have given to the soul,
creating her in My image and similitude, are clothed with the
nuptial garment (that is, the garment of love), adorned with many
virtues, by which they are united with Me through love. And yet I
tell you, if you should ask Me, who these are, I should reply"
(said the sweet and amorous Word of God) "they are another Myself,
inasmuch as they have lost and denied their own will, and are
clothed with Mine, are united to Mine, are conformed to Mine." It
is therefore true, indeed, that the soul unites herself with God by
the affection of love. So, that soul, wishing to know and follow
the truth more manfully, and lifting her desires first for herself
-- for she considered that a soul could not be of use, whether in
doctrine, example, or prayer, to her neighbor, if she did not first
profit herself, that is, if she did not acquire virtue in herself
-- addressed four requests to the Supreme and Eternal Father. The
first was for herself; the second for the reformation of the Holy
Church; the third a general prayer for the whole world, and in
particular for the peace of Christians who rebel, with much
lewdness and persecution, against the Holy Church; in the fourth
and last, she besought the Divine Providence to provide for things
in general, and in particular, for a certain case with which she
was concerned.
General
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