Prayer in Honor of Saint Catherine of Siena

 

Lord God of life and truth,

on this holy day as we remember your faithful servant,

Saint Catherine of Siena,

we praise you and give you thanks for her witness of love,

of courage, and of total surrender to your will.

She who knew how to hear your voice in the silence of prayer,

who spoke with firmness when the Church needed her most,

and who served the poor and the sick with tenderness,

inspires us today to live with greater faith, with deeper inner fire,

with a greater thirst for justice and peace.

Lord, we ask you to grant us

a humble and simple heart,

like Catherine’s

a heart that does not take pride in knowledge,

nor closes itself in its own securities,

but opens to the wisdom that comes from You,

to the light that only You can give.

Make us able to recognize our weaknesses

and, at the same time, to fully trust in your mercy.

Let us not be lost in guilt,

but may we return to You with hope,

knowing that You are slow to anger and rich in mercy.

Help us, Lord, to walk in your light,

to turn away from all forms of selfishness, pride, or indifference.

Teach us to serve with joy, to love without limits,

to seek your will above our own interests.

And when we are tired, when the world weighs heavily on us,

when we feel the burden of pain or doubt,

draw us to your meek and humble heart,

where we may rest as your beloved children.

Make us instruments of your peace,

messengers of your Word, witnesses of your Kingdom.

Like Catherine, who spoke to the world from her cell,

who without human power moved the hearts of the mighty,

grant us too the grace to influence through love,

through prayer, through the truth that does not impose,

but convinces with the light of your Spirit.

Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God forever and ever.

Amen.

*******