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No. I am not really turning this into a food blog, really.

Today is the feast day of St. Catherine of Sienna.

I love this saint! She is a Doctor of the Church, meaning her writings and wisdom are exceptional and some of the most respected. We can learn much from them, though some of us (ok, me) take a lot longer than others.

The great guys over at Godzdogz did a great little post on her, as usual. {scroll down a bit for it, it was on Friday Ap 25, worth looking} But here’s a little bit from them, the part that both stays with me and makes me ponder it…turning it over and over in my brain. And it challenges me, as I fail it daily.

“The union of contemplation and action in the life of Catherine is important for our reflection on the Christian life. It demonstrates for us that prayer and action are not separate realities but are intimately woven together into the continuous activity of discipleship. In her Dialogue, she states that God told her “I ask you to love me the way I love you. I know that you cannot do this gratuitously but out of duty, this is why I place your neighbors in your path so that you may love them and so that you can do for them what you cannot do for me…”

Besides all that, she was the baby out of a family of 25. Yes, 25! She was able to see Christ in those that most rejected: nursing plague victims and the destitute. She was also strong willed and opinionated and more than a bit pushy. So, for me, what’s not to like? Of course, I’m partial and intrigued by those large families, even big old Italian ones from centuries ago. She was a radical in radical turbulent times, much braver and stronger than I could ever be. I look to her for sheer faith and fortitude, compassion and courage. Go check her out. She’s a cool saint to know.