"O loving, tender
Word of God, You tell me: 'I have marked the path and opened the gate with My
Blood; do not be negligent in following it, but take the same road which I,
eternal Truth, have traced out with My Blood.' Arise, my soul, and follow your
Redeemer, for no one can go to the Father but by Him. O sweet Christ,
Christ-Love, You are the way, and the door through which we must enter in order
to reach the Father." – Saint Catherine
of Siena
For almost a year now, as part of my Dominican study, I have been prayerfully reading Saint Catherine of Siena's The Dialogue. Like Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, Catherine's words run deep; deep into the creases of the inner soul. I read each sentence slowly chewing on the meaning. I'm often stunned at how much her words apply to modern day. The Holy Spirit has an intriguing way of using her thoughts to nourish the reader intellectually as well as spiritually. I find myself saying "Wow" throughout the text, wondering how much more wisdom we would gain if she lived to an older age.
In a continuous dialog with Catherine, God discusses the three gates of the soul: the will, understanding, and memory. The main gate is our will. The other minor gates are made up of understanding and memory. They are heavily influenced by the will.
As I've read through Catherine's beautiful imagery regarding God's providence, I have some further reflections, expanding on her ideas.....
God never allows the gate of the will to be opened by Evil. Devils, demons and other tempters can violently shake at the rod iron for all of eternity. But it is firmly locked, and we are in "sole" possession of the key! It's up to us, through the free will graciously gifted to us by God, to choose whether to allow evil to enter our lives or not. The other two gates (understanding and memory) are heavily guarded by God. In fact, he can open and close the gates of understanding and memory whenever he sees fit. Suffering, burden, pain, and discontent often walk through these gates, residing in our souls for a long time. Depending on how badly we've allowed our free will to go against God's plan, the effects can range from minor to morally deadly.
When examining my own conscience, I often compromise my free will by judging others unfairly, becoming impatient in situations, and demanding perfection out of myself. This leads to anxiety that Saint Paul often writes about in the New Testament. I have difficulty letting go of this pent-up anxiety and useless worry. This leads to a warped understanding of God's unconditionally love for me. It leads to bad memories of times I've lost my temper. It leads me to falsely believe I'm not a very good person in God's eyes.
Our free will always produces consequences, forever leaving an imprinted stamp in our understanding and memory. Sometimes this understanding and memory gets mumbled and confused. We can't figure out what God really wants out of us or what we want out of him. It's as if all the soul's gates are flooded, washed out, and blocked. Little trickles of sin enter here and there; evil becomes a daunting force; and the soul's inner goodness is threatened.
How can we escape the lack of understanding and the bad memories that overflow our daily thoughts? How can we unite our free will better with God's will? An essential solution is prayer. Prayer is the best way for us to properly maintain the gates of our souls. They can become rusty with hinges loose but can be rehabilitated to remain strong and protective. We never want things to enter through the gates that damage our chances of entering into the pearly gates of heaven.
Our souls need regular cleansing and refreshing. Regular reception of the sacraments can help eliminate the filth and the crud. Trust in the Lord keeps us well grounded in His Truth.
-J.
When examining my own conscience, I often compromise my free will by judging others unfairly, becoming impatient in situations, and demanding perfection out of myself. This leads to anxiety that Saint Paul often writes about in the New Testament. I have difficulty letting go of this pent-up anxiety and useless worry. This leads to a warped understanding of God's unconditionally love for me. It leads to bad memories of times I've lost my temper. It leads me to falsely believe I'm not a very good person in God's eyes.
Our free will always produces consequences, forever leaving an imprinted stamp in our understanding and memory. Sometimes this understanding and memory gets mumbled and confused. We can't figure out what God really wants out of us or what we want out of him. It's as if all the soul's gates are flooded, washed out, and blocked. Little trickles of sin enter here and there; evil becomes a daunting force; and the soul's inner goodness is threatened.
How can we escape the lack of understanding and the bad memories that overflow our daily thoughts? How can we unite our free will better with God's will? An essential solution is prayer. Prayer is the best way for us to properly maintain the gates of our souls. They can become rusty with hinges loose but can be rehabilitated to remain strong and protective. We never want things to enter through the gates that damage our chances of entering into the pearly gates of heaven.
Our souls need regular cleansing and refreshing. Regular reception of the sacraments can help eliminate the filth and the crud. Trust in the Lord keeps us well grounded in His Truth.
For He has
strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you.
–Psalms 147:13
-J.
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