Publisher Description

From her earliest years, Catherine of Siena (1347-80) was griped by the mystery of God incarnate. This was the beginning of a life-long love story, a life-long conversion in which Christ spoke to Catherine and she communicated the truth of his being to the world of her time. Creation itself, she says, is an act of love, and Christ is the bridge by which human beings come to realize their full humanity, their inmost nature, which is to love.Mystic, champion of the poor and Church reformer, Catherine was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She was unable to write until she was thirty, but she corresponded with Popes, Cardinals, scholars and civic authorities. She was a true daughter of the fourteenth century, famous in her own life time, and yet her thinking and her work seem entirely relevant in the political and ecclesial context of our own time. When Pope Paul VI was asked whether she should be considered a politician, his answer was yes, but in a thoroughly spiritual way; this, he said, is why 'the teaching of this singular woman politician is still meaningful and valuable'.

Author Biography

Giuliana Cavallini OP was Director of the Centro Nazionale di Studi Cateriniani in Rome, editor of Catherine's Dialogue and author of many key works on Catherine.

Table of Contents

Catherine and Her Writings; Catherine's Search for truth; Catherine and human nature; The imagery of the 'Tree'; Catherine's Christology; Catherine and the Church; Catherine and Politics; The way to perfect love.

Review

"As editor of the critical edition of the Dialogue (Catherine's account of her mystical conversation with God), Cavallini is immensely qualified to synthesize Catherine of Siena's thought...Devotional in tone, this book is suitable for Master of Divinity students, clergy, and literate laypersons interested in theology and spirituality." —Joy A. Schroeder, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 33, No. 3, July 2007 -- Joy A. Schroeder

Long Description

From her earliest years, Catherine of Siena (1347-80) was gripped by the mystery of God incarnate. This was the beginning of a life-long love story, a life-long conversion in which Christ spoke to Catherine and she communicated the truth of his being to the world of her time. Creation itself, she says, is an act of love, and Christ is the bridge by which human beings come to realise their full humanity, their inmost nature, which is to love.....Mystic, champion of the poor and Church reformer, Catherine was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She was unable to write until she was thirty, but she corresponded with Popes, Cardinals, Scholars and civic authorities. She was a true daughter of the fourteenth century, famous in her own life- time, and yet her thinking and her work seem entirely relevant in the political and ecclesial context of our own time. When Pope Paul VI was asked whether she should be considered a politician, his answer was yes, but in a thoroughly spiritual way; this, he said, is why 'the teaching of this singular woman politician is still meaningful and valuable.'

Review Quote

"As editor of the critical edition of the Dialogue (Catherine's account of her mystical conversation with God), Cavallini is immensely qualified to synthesize Catherine of Siena's thought...Devotional in tone, this book is suitable for Master of Divinity students, clergy, and literate laypersons interested in theology and spirituality." "Joy A. Schroeder, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 33, No. 3, July 2007

Details