St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).


 

I first saw God when I was a child, six years of age.

The cheeks of the sun were pale before Him,

and the earth acted as a shy

girl, like me.

Divine light entered my heart from His love

that did never fully wane, (…)

I have seen what you want;

it is there,

a Beloved on infinite

tenderness.

P.183.

 

(…)

Live without thought of dying,

for dying is not a

truth.

P.184.

 

They kiss sometimes when no one is looking,

the sun and

moon.

Why are they so shy before us-

haven’t we all seen someone making love?

I wept once for three days because He

would not touch

me-

for is it not a bride’s right

to know Him?

I have seen what I want in heaven’s shop.

Crazed I have become for this. (…)

P.187.

 

(…)

And my Lord replied, “Who would understand if I said that I

cannot bear

to confine a wing, and let it learn from the course it chooses.”

(…)

The Absolute Innocence of all within my creation

takes a while to understand.”

P.188-9.

 

Wisdom is

so kind and wise

that wherever you may look

you can learn something

about God.

Why

would not

the omnipresent

teach that

way?

P.191.

(…)

Those who have held beauty work to overcome their prejudice

and seek to bring all into

Her arms,

for nothing makes more sense

than being there

with Him.

P.192.

 

We know nothing until we know everything.

I have no object to defend

for all is of equal value

to me.

I cannot lose anything in this

place of abundance

I found.

If something me heart cherishes

is taken away,

I just say, “Lord, what

happened?”

And a hundred more

appear.

P.193.

 

If you cried in heaven, everyone

would laugh

for they would know you were just

kidding.

P.194.

 

(…)

And the Christ, knowing all minds, replied,

“Forgiveness is the foundation of God’s

being.”

P.196.

 

(…)

It is not possible for Love

to not hear

us,

and whatever happens

the perfect teacher

staged.  (…)

P.197.

 

(….)

The wings we have are so fragile

they can break from just

one word, or

a glance void

of love.

(…) P.198.

 

All has been consecrated.

The creatures in the forest know this,

the earth does, the seas do, the clouds know

as does the heart full of

love.

Strange a priest would rob us of this

knowledge

and then empower himself

with the ability

to make holy what

already was.

P.199.

 

(…)

God cannot leave us.

It is just that our soul is so vast,

we do not always feel His lips

upon the veil.

P.200.

 

Herbs can help the body and give

the heart more strength

to love.

When my sight became clearer,

I could see auras around different foods,

and I now know – should I say this? –

that everything can sing.

(…). P.201.

 

Truth never frightens.

(…)

I waited in a world of magic,

smells of good food,

the street lamps, the smoke coming from chimneys,

the candles burning in windows,

the snow.

Angels feasted, as I did, on existence and God kept saying,

“Have more of what I made.”

(…) P.202.

 

(…)

Once, when I was sad, I said to a kind old priest,

“have you learned any secrets

to unburden the

heart?”

And he responded,

“Hum a favorite melody;

wine will always rise

to the top

of oil.”

P.204.

 

It could be said that God’s foot is so vast that this entire earth is but a field to His toe, and all the forests in this world came from the same root of just a single hair of His. What then is not a sanctuary? Where then can I not kneel and pray at a shrine made holy by His presence? P.205.

 

If I did not understand

the glory and sufferings of the human heart,

I would not speak before its

holiness.

(…)

I stand with humility before every creature

when they call me into

their court,

because of your holiness,

my dears.

P.207.

 

Daybreak:

everything in this world is a luminous divine dream

I have spun.

I did not know life was a fabric woven by my soul.

Any form that can appear to you – should I confess it?-

it is something I made.

All roots nurse

from

me.

God’s art is mine. I did not want His divine talent.

It simply grew in my heart from

the way I

loved.

Existence is a young child moving through

a lane at night;

it wanted to

hold my

hand. (….)

P.208.

 

Swit:

wszystko na tym świecie jest świetlanym boskim snem,

który ja uruchomiłam.

Nie wiedziałam, że życie jest materiałem tkanym przez moją duszę.

Jakakolwiek forma, która może pojawić się przed wami –

czy powinnam się do tego przyznać?-

jest czymś, co ja zrobiłam.

Wszystkie korzenie ciągną

soki

ze mnie.

Boga rzemiosło stało się moim. Nie chciałam jego boskiego talentu.

On urósł w moim sercu ze

sposobu w jaki

kochałam.

Egzystencja jest mały dzieckiem przechodzącym przez

drogę w nocy.

Chciała

bym wzięła ją

za rękę.

All the above quotes from:

Ladinsky Daniel (2002). Love Poems from God. Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West. Penguin Group.

Last updated: 2008/10/27

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