Reflection
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin & Doctor of the Church
Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don’t look at your weaknesses. Realize instead that in Christ crucified you can do everything.
-Saint Catherine of Siena
Today, the Church celebrates the feast day of one of the four women who are Doctors of the Church, Catherine of Siena. Her influence on Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon, France, was Divine intervention only because she listened to God with deep love and was open to the Holy Spirit.
In the years following Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, the Apostles were emboldened and inspired by the Holy Spirit. They ventured out into the world, determined to share the Word of God with all people. This mission was far from easy, requiring unwavering faith and trust in the purpose entrusted to them by Christ.
The reading from Acts of the Apostles highlights Barnabas and Saul (later known as Paul) as they set out from Antioch, marking the beginning of one of their missionary journeys. The Holy Spirit descended upon the community in Antioch after a period of worship and fasting, guiding them in their actions. Before Barnabas and Saul were sent, the community performed the laying on of hands—a symbolic act of commissioning, deeply rooted in tradition.
Their mission was to be the Light of Christ and to spread the Word of God to others.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that he is from God, that he is the Light, and that his words are God’s words or “commandment.” Hearing, believing, and acting on this message leads us to eternal life. The words of Catherine of Siena at the beginning of this reflection are about having trust in the Word of God and that Word gives us the grace to do much more than we could ever imagine. Will it be hard? Yes! And Christ did the most difficult thing by allowing himself to be crucified, die, and buried so that we might have eternal life.
Just as the Apostles were commissioned to be light and to carry the message of the Gospel to the world, we are called, through our Baptism, to be light and the presence of Christ for others.
