29 April 2021
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. His words and this action attest to why he chose to be among us: He declared he wanted to serve. At the same time, he invites those who desire to be with him to be the servants of others. There is no other way to live out the Gospel message without the constant desire to be at the service of our brothers and sisters. Such is the condition to attain true happiness.
There is an interesting detail in the 1st reading: “But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” John is St. Mark. His dealings with Paul were strained, and crowded together on a boat for some days, didn’t help the situation. What a consoling thought: If saints in the early Church clashed, then I shouldn’t waste time fretting about some saint with the temperament of Paul I have to deal with.
Sometime my own “returning to Jerusalem” can be the best service I can give to another and to the apostolate. Being of service to others has many nuances on this side of heaven. It is matter about which I should pray because it is the first need for true, non-egotistical fraternal charity.
St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast it is today, put that nuance into practice in an exceptional way. I’ll reread her biography to see how she did it.