Raymond of Capua

“ When the plague was raging in Sienna, I resolved to sacrifice my life for the salvation of souls and not to avoid any pestiferous patient whatever: it is certain that the malady is contagious; but I also knew that our Lord Jesus Christ, is more potent than Galen and that grace is superior to nature. I also saw that many had taken flight, and that the dying remained without assistance; and as the blessed Catherine had taught me that charity obliges us to love the soul of the neighbor more than our own body, I was desirous of assisting as many sick as I could, and I did so by God's grace. ”

“ I communicated this conversation to Catherine who was at the time quite ill. She turned to me and said; " Had Agnes, Margaret, and a multitude of other Virgins indulged all these reflections, they would never have obtained the crown of martyrdom I Have we not a Spouse who can deliver us from the hands of the impious and preserve our honor amidst a throng of debauchees ? All these reasonings are vain; they spring from a want of faith rather than from genuine prudence." I then blushed interiorly at being so remote from her lofty perfection, and in my heart I admired her constancy and her faith. ”

“ Catherine arose from the place in which she was praying, and advancing to meet him, graciously and respectfully saluted him. The aged knight said to her with a profound inclination: " Madame, I have done what you prescribed to me; I confessed all my sins to Friar Thomas, who assigned me a penance, and I am resolved to accomplish it, such as it is imposed on me." Catherine responded: " You have acted wisely for the salvation of your soul, now avoid all your former practices and combat as valiantly for Jesus Christ, as you have done for the world." ”

“ Hence Catherine always spoke of her sweet, dear sufferings; and she was correct, because sufferings augment the consolations of grace in this life and the delights of the glory to come.
Having admired what Catherine did for the soul of a just man, let us see what happened in the soul of a sinner. In 1370, there was at Sienna a citizen named Andrea of Naddino; a man rich in worldly and perishable goods, but poor in interior and eternal wealth. Without either the love or the fear of God, he subjected himself to the slavery of every vice. ”

“ Catherine was, therefore at once satisfied and fasting; deprived of all exteriorly, but abundantly nourished in the interior; thirsty in her body, but inundated in her soul, by torrents of living waters, and always when necessary strong and joyous. But the old and tortuous serpent could not endure such a great favor from Heaven, without seeking to empoison it with the venom of envy. He excited against the servant of God, on the occasion of her extraordinary fast, all those who knew her, whether laymen or Religious. ”

“ The way of penance and my commandments at first appears rude and painful; but as the soul advances, it becomes easy and delightful; in the way of evil on the contrary, the first moments are agreeable; but trouble and danger soon show themselves. I will give thee one more, and an infallible sign. My vision render the soul humble, by giving it the grace of comprehending the truth of its unworthiness. But as the demon is the father of falsehood and the prince of pride, he can only give of what he possesses; his visions always engender in the soul a certain self-esteem which excites it to vanity. ”

“ From faults spring virtue, from offence pardon, and in contempt love puts forth its blossoms. O then, my children, endeavor to possess that holy hatred of self, it renders you humble, it will give you patience in tribulations, moderation in prosperity, restraint in your deportment, and you will become agreeable to God and man." And she added: "Woe, woe to the soul which has not this holy hatred, for where it does not exist, self-love must reign, and self-love is the cause of all sin, and the root of all vices." ”

“ The illness grew hourly worse, and we were beginning to despair of the safety of the body, and think only of the salvation of the soul. All physical energy appeared extinct, and we awaited his expiring sigh. Catherine said again in the patient's ear, "Fear not, you will not die." He who appeared to be unconscious understood her perfectly, and believed more strongly in her word than in death whose presence he felt. And in effect, Catherine's word triumphed over the laws of nature; and divine virtue, more powerful than all human remedies, saved the dying man against all hope. ”

“ As I was frequently witness of this Buffering, I felt an extreme compassion for her, and I counseled her to let men talk, and spare herself such torture; she answered me with a smile: " Is it not better to expiate my sins at present, and not be punished during all eternity ? The judgments of men are very profitable to me, since they cause me to avoid infinite pains by enduring these transient ones; no ! I certainly ought not to shun God's justice, and the great grace he accords me of allowing me to make satisfaction in this world." ”

“ I know it is humility and not a disobedient spirit that prompts thee to speak thus, and now I wish thee to know that in this age, the pride of men has become so great, especially among such as believe themselves to be learned and discreet, that my justice can no longer endure them, and is about to confound them by a just judgment; but because mercy is the gentle attendant of all my works, I design at first to give them a salutary confusion, in order that they may acknowledge and humble themselves like the Jews and Gentiles when I sent them foolish people whom I filled with my divine wisdom. ”

“ Do not intercede for him; it is just that he burn in eternal flames; he merits death a thousand times."
Catherine prostrated herself at the feet of her divine Spouse, and bathed them with her tears — and prayed in aspirations like these: "Didst thou not, loving Jesus I bear this man's sins with ours on thy venerable shoulders ? Am I here to dispute thy justice, or to invoke thy mercy ? Remember Lord thou didst promise to aid me in saving souls; I have no other consolation but that of seeing them return to thee; it is the only circumstance that renders me capable of enduring thy absence. ”

“ Were I not retained for the love of God and love of the neighbor, I should die of grief. My great consolation is to suffer, because I am aware that by suffering, I shall obtain a more perfect view of God. Hence tribulations, far from being painful to my soul, are on the contrary its delight. I saw the torments of Hell and those of purgatory; no words can describe them. Had poor mortals the faintest idea of them, they would suffer a thousand deaths rather than undergo the least of their torments during a single day. ”

“ Those cruel sufferings increased daily; her skin adhered to her bones and her body appeared like one issuing from the tomb; she walked, prayed and worked without intermission; but those who saw her, would have believed her to be a phantom rather than a living soul: her tortures multiplied and visibly consumed her body. Far from interrupting her prayers, Catherine increased their length and their fervor; her spiritual family who were surrounding her at that time, saw very distinctly the exterior signs of the tortures heaped upon her by hell ”

“ I will diffuse in thy soul such an abundance of grace, that thy body itself will experience its effects and will live no longer except in an extraordinary manner; thy heart shall become so ardent for the salvation of the neighbor, that thou shalt forget thy sex and its reserve: thou shalt no more avoid as formerly the conversation of men, but thou shalt expose thyself to every species of fatigue in order to save their souls; thy conduct will scandalize many who will contradict thee and accuse thee publicly. ”

“ Now, I will bestow on thee, from my own body, a garment that shall be invisible to men, but perceptible to thee, because it will preserve from cold both thy soul and thy body, until the day in which I will clothe thee with honor and glory before the saints and angels. "And immediately he drew from the wound of his adorable Heart a vestment tinged with the purple hue of his precious blood and beaming with light. ”

“ As Catherine was amazed at a comparison so elevated, which rendered equal so to speak, a saint with Jesus Christ — he who uttered these surprising words, explained them himself: " My Son engendered by nature from all eternity, when he assumed human nature, obeyed me in all things perfectly, until his death. Dominic, my son by adoption, from his birth until the last moment of his life, followed my will in all things. He never transgressed one of my commandments, never violated the virginity of either soul or body, and always preserved the grace of Baptism which regenerated him. ”

“ Dear reader, observe the wonderful virtue of Catherine. Admire that inspiration of charity which inclines her to perform an act so repugnant to nature: consider the zeal which influences her, notwithstanding the revolt of her senses; remark that amazing courage that cannot be intimidated by the shocking calumny and odious ingratitude of the sick woman; contemplate, in fine, that soul which derives its strength from God, which praise cannot render haughty, and which gains over the flesh a last triumph, by drinking what it shuddered with horror merely to see! ”

“ Is it in bread only that man finds strength ? do not the words that issue from thy mouth better impart vigor and energy to the soul of the pilgrim ? Thou know far better than I, that I fled the society of creatures to find thee, my Lord and my God. And now that I have obtained thy grace, notwithstanding my unworthiness, must I resign this inestimable treasure, to mingle anew in worldly affairs, to fall again into my former ignorance and perchance become odious to thee ? Ah no, no, thy infinite goodness will never command any thing which can separate the soul from thee. ”

“ And then she added: "Nothing is more dangerous than a fault, however small it may be, when he who commits it does not carefully purify his soul by penance."
Catherine afterwards continued what she had commenced: "While my soul contemplated these things, its celestial Spouse, whom it believed it possessed forever, said: "Thou see what glory they lose and torments they suffer who offend me. Return therefore to life and show them how they have strayed and what appalling danger menaces them." ”

“ Who could compute the miserable whom she saved from hell, the hardened hearts that she has touched, the worldlings detached from vanity, persons tempted that she assisted by her prayers and freed from the demon by her counsels, the elect whom she directed in the path of virtue, those whose good desires she aided in progress towards perfection, those whom she saved from the abyss of vice and conducted to heaven, by bearing them, so to speak, in her arms, suffering and praying for their salvation ? ”

“ Follow therefore courageously, the inspiration which will enlighten thee; for I shall draw, by thy aid, numerous souls from the gulf of hell, and I will conduct them, with the help of my grace, to the Kingdom of Heaven." Catherine heard these words several times, and when our Lord repeated to her: "Fear nothing, be not troubled," she answered: "you are my God, and I am but thy little handmaid: may thy will ever be accomplished, but remember me and incline unto my aid, according to the greatness of thy mercy. ”

“ I have dwelt at length upon this fault of Catharine in order to show to what a high degree of perfection grace had raised her.
Bonaventura who had succeeded in occupying her with her attire, had not inspired her with a wish to please the world, yet her fervor in prayer and meditation had abated. Our Lord would no longer permit that his chosen spouse should thus be separated from his heart, and he destroyed the obstacle that prevented this holy union. ”

“ In the beginning of her visions, Catherine related to her Confessors, that our Lord appeared to her, while she was meditating and said to her: " Know, my daughter, what you are and what I am; if you learn these two things, you shalt be truly blest: you are what is not, and I am the great I Am; if thy soul is deeply penetrated with this truth, the enemy cannot deceive you and you will avoid all his snares; you will never consent to do any thing against my commandments, and you will acquire without difficulty, grace, truth and peace." ”

“ The incomparable Spouse of souls had tried his beloved daughter in the furnace of great tribulations: he taught her to overcome the enemy of souls in every variety of combat, it only remained for him to crown her in a manner worthy of his own divine munificence; but, the souls that she was destined to succor in their pilgrimage, had not yet profited by her virtues as much as the Saviour desired and had promised, and it was requisite that Catherine should remain in the world, receiving in it the pledges of her eternal reward. ”