Another Lone Bird

Am reading Sigrid Undset's St. Catherine of Siena. Like to read bios of saints near their feast days. St. Catherine is coming up this Thursday, April 29.

She certainly was a lone and perhaps odd bird for her times, and would be for ours, as well. I like her. I love her, in fact.

I can assure you that suffering is not easy, as many of you well know. Sometimes we are called upon to do God's will which might seem quite unorthodox to many, and the spawn of gossip, slander, misjudging and wrongful opinions.

Sometimes Jesus plucks us out of situations for our own protection, and maybe more for the protection of others--to keep them from their wrong opinions and misjudgments of other people.

St. Catherine of Siena certainly had her fair share of all that and more, from her family, friends, and strangers. Sigred Undset's bio is particularly fascinating given the author's expertise on the Middle Age culture and society and gender.

St. Catherine suffered tremendously as a victim soul. She also was called upon to speak up in her era to Church authorities, including, remarkably, to chastise the Pope. But a hunk of her life was lived in solitude within her own family home, treated much like a slave for a portion of her persecuted life.

Am still mulling over whether to post the web site address here and on the Catholic Hermit blog, partly to see if the young computer guru's block is successful to the ne'er-do-well blugs, but the desire for having that site be a deeper expression of the spiritual life supersedes finding out if young John's computer block works. Having freedom to write without misjudgment, wrongful opinions, and harassment approaches serenity.

But I do know how reactionary writing becomes a drag and ineffective. I just de-bookmarked a blog today, that I occasionally would read, due to it's being for the most part reactionary writing, as well as welcoming comments that are reactionary, judgmental, and filled with opinions that leave much to be desired.

Back to bed and to reading that which elevates. Thanks to Sigrid Undset and other fine writers! I honor them and am grateful, and someday hope to be a writer who elevates, which is more possible when writing from the heart, in prayer, and in private.