Strong Women Strengthen Men and Christ's Most Holy Church, but only in bold humility to Christ
This is about that time Saint Catherine of Siena “constrained” God, by consent of His most Righteous Will, of course (His response follows below). Was this her training for dragging the naughty schoolboy of a Pope out of exile in France back to Rome? What beauty and wonder, women in the Church! I imagine her finger wagging heavenward in her prayer, a la Job ...
Therefore, You, moved by that same fire of love with which You created him, willingly gave man a means of reconciliation, so that after the great rebellion into which he had fallen, there should come a great peace; and so you gave him the only-begotten Word, Your Son, to be the Mediator between us and You. He was our Justice, for he took on Himself all our offenses and injustices, and performed Your obedience, Eternal Father, which You imposed on Him, when You clothed Him with our humanity, our human nature and likeness. Oh, abyss of love! What heart can help breaking when it sees such dignity as Yours descend to such lowliness as our humanity? We are Your image, and You have become ours, by this union which You have accomplished with man, veiling the Eternal Deity with the cloud of woe, and the corrupted clay of Adam. For what reason? — Love. Wherefore, You, O God, have become man, and man has become God. By this ineffable love of Yours, therefore, I constrain You, and implore You that You do mercy to Your creatures.
– The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena
It is critical to also hear God's response, which I imagine delivered with a loving chuckle of a father rendering justice with mercy:
Then God, turning the eye of His mercy towards her, allowing Himself to be constrained by her tears, and bound by the chain of her holy desire, replied with lamentation — “My sweetest daughter, your tears constrain Me, because they are joined with My love, and fall for love of Me, and your painful desires force Me to answer you; but marvel, and see how My spouse has defiled her face, and become leprous, on account of her filthiness and self-love, and swollen with pride and avarice of those who feed on their own sin.
Love with wild abandon and bold humility to God our Father, who is Love! May Christ startle you with joy!
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