Throughout the scriptures we see that the duties assigned to a prophet or spokesman for God have always been two fold. First, they call Gods people to reform and repentance, they warn them to turn away from their evil ways. They understand God’s mercy and justice and the grave consequences of sin and rebellion. They know that repeated rejection of God’s commands will bring forth judgment either in this life or the life to come, therefore when they carry out their mission they are at times boisterous, bold, daring, audacious, forward, and impudent in their delivery. Their style of speech has a tendency to upset the religious mind; in fact one could say that the religious are upset by their mere presence. Their words are designed to offend the errant mind in order to expose the true condition of the heart. Therefore they speak with authority, power, and exactness.
The second part of their mission is to preach glad tidings to the meek; to bound up wounds and heal the brokenhearted; they preach deliverance to the captives and recovered sight to the spiritually blind; they open the prison doors to those who are bound and set at liberty those who are bruised. In other words they follow in the footsteps of the Lord. But it’s not an easy task to be a spokesman for God; for ones message is often rejected; one becomes ridiculed, chastised, persecuted, and in many cases those bold enough to speak on God’s behalf are labeled divisive or accused of having a root of bitterness against what man would consider to be the norm.
It has often been the case if not always the case that God’s spokesmen of old or even in more recent times never arose from the ranks of those who regarded themselves as the custodians of God’s law, who felt themselves most qualified to speak on his behalf. But God has apparently always felt it necessary to bypass those that the world considered mighty, wise, and noble for the unlearned. Don’t get me wrong God has and does use the great people of this world, but more often than not he uses the insignificant so that He may receive the glory rather than men or women. As St. Paul tells us, “You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 26-29).
Nowhere in the history of the Church will one find the fulfillment of St. Paul’s words more prevalent than in one Catherine Benicasa. Born in the city of Siena Italy in 1347, she became one of the greatest gifts that God has ever allowed the Church to possess. She was not an educated person, in fact some say she was “illiterate” but whether or not this was true I cannot say. But I can say she was a spiritual giant that possessed great communication skills and possessed a genuine love of Christ and his Church. She had a genuine love for the people of God and his ministers and possessed a genuine desire to see changes in the sinful lives of the members of Christ’s Church, both laity and clergy. She also possessed a great desire to see all come to obedience and submission to those in authority, but especially to the authority of the pope.
The second part of their mission is to preach glad tidings to the meek; to bound up wounds and heal the brokenhearted; they preach deliverance to the captives and recovered sight to the spiritually blind; they open the prison doors to those who are bound and set at liberty those who are bruised. In other words they follow in the footsteps of the Lord. But it’s not an easy task to be a spokesman for God; for ones message is often rejected; one becomes ridiculed, chastised, persecuted, and in many cases those bold enough to speak on God’s behalf are labeled divisive or accused of having a root of bitterness against what man would consider to be the norm.
It has often been the case if not always the case that God’s spokesmen of old or even in more recent times never arose from the ranks of those who regarded themselves as the custodians of God’s law, who felt themselves most qualified to speak on his behalf. But God has apparently always felt it necessary to bypass those that the world considered mighty, wise, and noble for the unlearned. Don’t get me wrong God has and does use the great people of this world, but more often than not he uses the insignificant so that He may receive the glory rather than men or women. As St. Paul tells us, “You see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 26-29).
Nowhere in the history of the Church will one find the fulfillment of St. Paul’s words more prevalent than in one Catherine Benicasa. Born in the city of Siena Italy in 1347, she became one of the greatest gifts that God has ever allowed the Church to possess. She was not an educated person, in fact some say she was “illiterate” but whether or not this was true I cannot say. But I can say she was a spiritual giant that possessed great communication skills and possessed a genuine love of Christ and his Church. She had a genuine love for the people of God and his ministers and possessed a genuine desire to see changes in the sinful lives of the members of Christ’s Church, both laity and clergy. She also possessed a great desire to see all come to obedience and submission to those in authority, but especially to the authority of the pope.
St. Catherine’s writings are unique, even bold. As one writer put it, “Even today, she has a way of shocking the reader into reality.” She was very direct in her letters, even to the point of breaking with polite convection in order to rebuke those who were walking in disobedience to Christ and his Church. Many times I have heard or read those that say one should not imitate St. Catharine’s style, that what she possessed was a unique calling from God. But I must say I agree with the latter but disagree with the former. St. Catharine’s life was indeed unique and cannot be duplicated for it was her life alone, but she also called for others to follow in the path that she had blazed when she stated, “We need someone to utter a ‘roar’ over the body of the Church, lusty enough to wake up the children within her.” She knew false teachers, prophets, and unfaithful laity would always hinder the Church down through the ages; that her mission must be carried on in order for the Church to maintain her outward purity. But far too many today are afraid to carry forth that mission. They are afraid of being alienated or rejected by friends, family, other Christians or the world at large, which is why we don’t find very many following in St. Catherine’s footsteps today. It’s a price that most find too high to pay.
