Pax on both houses: The Thinking Housewife And St. Catherine Of Siena

Monday, December 22, 2014

The Thinking Housewife And St. Catherine Of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena

... cutting her hair to make herself unattractive

Dear Fred,

I'm happy to see your recent contribution to "The Thinking Housewife."
http://www.thinkinghousewife.com/wp/2014/12/another-strong-woman-feminists-ignore/

I wonder if Laura would approve St. Catherine if she knew her well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena

Although orthodox in many ways, Catherine's personal and political behavior were unprecedented for a woman of her time.

As St. Mike's Marshall McLuhan used to say "the medium is the message." (Or, as I read it, "the context is even more important than the content.")

I also think Laura -- ever the champion of motherhood, indeed a noble calling -- does not fully grasp the Church's position that celibacy (and consequent reproductive barrenness) are higher callings than marriage and reproduction.

Similarly, monks and hermits -- whom the Archibald family has always considered special conduits of divine light -- were often shabbily dressed, so much so that St. Francis' poverelli had reverted to what one biographer describes as a feral condition, living under rock outcroppings which I've visited in the hills above Assisi.

The poverelli were so sack-rough, soiled and unshorn that they startled local folk "taken unawares."

It would be instructive to see how Francis would deal with an ermine cape.

Similarly, it is impossible to imagine Francesco -- the "papal impostor's" namesake -- championing such furs as cause celebre.

Au contraire.

"Pope Francis Links"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/11/pope-francis-links.html

Consider:

Catherine is known for her "political boldness to speak truth to power— it being exceptional for a woman, in her time period, to have had such influence in politics and on world history." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena

If such bold behavior is suitable for a (woman!) Doctor of The Church, where would Catherine's trail-blazing lead young women today?

I suspect Dorothy Day is an heir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

Ultimately, the "point" is that the Roman Church has room for everyone -- even sinners like you and me, not to mention the Cathari on "the Catholic right."

The Church is, emphatically, not a prissy exercise in narrow (and narrowing) interpretations of extra Ecclesiam nulla salus and cannot be since The Christ through whom all salvation comes is best described as Love itself.

Yes!

Forever yes to Love as the source of all salvation!

Many have forgotten the rudimentary truth that "she" is called the Catholic church because she is universal, welcoming everyone --- even sinners... particularly sinners --- aboard St. Peter's Bark.

Oscar Wilde (who converted to Catholicism on his deathbed) noted that the Catholic church is "for saints and sinners alone – for respectable people, the Anglican Church will do".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathbed_conversion#Oscar_Wilde

Pax tecum

Alan

PS Perhaps the most memorable proponent of extra Ecclesiam nulla salus was Pope Paul IV who first confined European Jews to ghettos, imposing the original "Star of David" uniform (later popularized by cradle Catholic, Adolf Hitler) to isolate them and call down opprobrium.

Excerpt from Wikipedia's Pope Paul IV's entry:

Pope Paul IV strongly affirmed the Catholic dogma of extra ecclesiam nulla salus ("Outside the Church there is no salvation"). The strengthening of the Inquisition continued under Paul IV, and few could consider themselves safe by virtue of position in his drive to reform the Church; even cardinals he disliked could be imprisoned.^[5]

In 1555 he issued a canon (papal law), Cum Nimis Absurdum, by which the Roman Ghetto was created. Jews were then forced to live in seclusion in a specified area of the rione Sant'Angelo, locked in at night, and he decreed that Jews should wear a distinctive sign, yellow hats for men, and veils or shawls for women.^[6] Jewish ghettos existed in Europe for the next 315 years.

As it is completely absurd and improper in the utmost that the Jews, who through their own fault were condemned by God to eternal servitude, can under the pretext that pious Christians must accept them and sustain their habitation, are so ungrateful to Christians, as, instead of thanks for gracious treatment, they return contumely, and among themselves, instead of the slavery, which they deserve...

— Paul IV, Cum nimis absurdum, 1555

Paul IV was violently opposed to the liberal Giovanni Cardinal Morone whom he strongly suspected of being a hidden Protestant, so much that he had him imprisoned. In order to prevent Morone from succeeding him and imposing what he believed to be his Protestant beliefs on the Church, Pope Paul IV codified the Catholic Law excluding heretics and non-Catholics from receiving or legitimately becoming Pope, in the bull Cum ex apostolatus officio.

Paul IV introduced the Index Librorum Prohibitorum or "Index of Prohibited Books" to Venice, then an independent and prosperous trading state, in order to crack down on the growing threat of Protestantism. Under his authority, all books written by Protestants were banned, together with Italian and German translations of the Latin Bible.

***