Tuesday, May 12 : Saint Catherine of Siena

Courage, my Brothers, let us not let ourselves be overcome either by the sin committed, nor by any illusion, any temptation of the devil. Although the road may be rough and muddy, Christ, our physician, has given us a remedy for all our infirmities, a baptism of blood and fire, in which the soul purifies and washes away all its sins, consumes and destroys all the temptations and illusions of the devil. (…) Man, as long as he lives in the corruptible prison of his body, experiences a perverse law, which always invites and solicits him to sin, the sweet goodness of God has given him a continual remedy, which strengthens his reason and his freedom. This continual remedy is the fire of the Holy Spirit, which never goes out, and always spreads its grace and its benefits, so that every day we can apply to ourselves this sweet baptism, which is given to us by grace and not by merit. So, when the soul looks and sees in itself this treasure and this fire of the Holy Spirit, it becomes so intoxicated with the love of its Creator that it renounces itself entirely. (…) She sees and considers only her nothingness and the goodness of God towards her; she sees that this infinite Goodness wants nothing other than her good, and then her love becomes perfect towards God. She has no other thought, no other affection, and she cannot restrain the impulse of her desire; but she runs without burden and without bond, because she has freed herself from all the obstacles that could stop her.