Today, we celebrate one of the four female Doctors of the Church that we have in our Catholic faith – St Catherine of Siena. (By the way, the other three female Doctors of the Church are Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and Hildegard of Bingen.) Catherine is quite a remarkable woman who lived in Italy way back in the 14th century, so remarkable that she is the patron saint of Italy and the co-patron saint of all of Europe, quite remarkable when we think about all the saints who have come from Italy and Europe. What is even more incredible is that she was the youngest of 25 children, that she had a vision of Christ when she was only 7 years old, and that she became the respected counselor of princes and popes while she spent most of her time caring for the poor and the sick. Quite a unique resume, isn’t it? This remarkable saint who is renowned for being a church reformer and a world peace maker, once said this wise statement: “If you are what you are meant to be, you will set the world on fire!” May we give thanks today during this joyful Easter season for the men and women like Catherine of Sienna and the disciples of the Early Church who devoted their lives to the faith and who worked tirelessly in living out the Gospel message and spreading it to others. May they be an example and inspiration to all of us on our own journeys.
As we continue to celebrate the Easter season this weekend on this 5th Sunday of Easter, may we continue to ponder the way the risen Christ is present to us in our lives. In the inspiring words of St Catherine of Siena: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
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