The Light That Calls Forth Mission

Voice over by Gracie Aye Chan May

Acts 12:24—13:5, Psalm: 66, Jn 12:44-50

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, patron saint of Europe

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, a Doctor of the Church and patroness of Europe, the Scriptures present us with a pattern that her life embodied with fiery intensity. The Word of God spreads, the Spirit speaks, and the Church is sent. And at the heart of it all is the Light that has come into the world—the Light that Saint Catherine spent her brief, brilliant life proclaiming to popes and princes, to the powerful and the poor.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that “the word of God continued to spread and grow.” In Antioch, prophets and teachers gathered—Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” They laid hands on them and sent them forth. This is the pattern of mission: worship, listening, and sending. The Church does not invent its mission; it receives it from the Spirit who speaks in the midst of prayer.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims the source of His own mission: “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.” His words are not His own; they come from the Father who sent Him. He does not judge those who reject Him; the word He has spoken will judge on the last day. Jesus is the Light, and He has come to scatter the darkness.

Saint Catherine of Siena lived this double movement of reception and mission. She was a woman of profound prayer, a mystic who received extraordinary gifts. Yet her contemplation never led to escape from the world. It drove her into the world. She wrote letters to popes calling them back to Rome. She traveled across Italy, making peace between warring cities. She dictated a Dialogue with the Eternal Father, which is a masterpiece of spiritual theology. She did all this because she had first worshiped, listened, and been sent.

Pope Paul VI, declaring her a Doctor of the Church, said, “Her learning was infused with heavenly wisdom.” St. John Paul II, naming her co-patroness of Europe, called her a woman of “extraordinary courage and wisdom.” She was a light in the darkness of her time, and she remains a light for ours.

For us today, the pattern is the same. We gather to worship, to fast, to listen for the Spirit’s voice. Then we are sent—not necessarily to popes and princes, but to our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods. We are sent to be light in the places where darkness presses in.

Saint Catherine was once asked how she could speak so boldly. She replied, “I have been anointed in the blood of Christ.” This Easter season, we too are anointed. We have received the Light. We have heard the Word. Now we are sent.

Let us pray for the courage of Saint Catherine. Let us worship, listen, and go forth. For the light has come, and it is ours to share. Amen.

May God bless you all!