“If you are what you ought to be, you will set fire to the world.” – St. Catherine of Siena

The saints are extraordinary because the very grace of God at work in their lives helped them to grow in virtue. The grace of God, cooperating with their own will, helped them grow more in Christ’s image and likeness. Over the centuries, saints’ writings are powerful testimonies of this reality and of the power of their personal relationship with Jesus and the Church. Spiritual testimonies, diaries, sermons, letters, catechetical works, autobiographies, and poetry are found amidst the extensive collection of saints’ writings. A short phrase written in a letter by St. Catherine of Siena, a young Dominican tertiary of the 14th century, still inspires hearts and minds today. In a letter to a young man named Stefano Maconi, who was discerning his vocation, she wrote: “If you are what you ought to be, you will set fire to all of Italy.” This advice has been handed down over the centuries in a paraphrased form that perhaps we have heard: “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.”

She meant it literally. If we live as God created us to live—fully, freely, courageously, in union with Christ—then our lives can ignite renewal in the Church, healing in our families, and conversion in the world. That’s what saints do. They burn with the love of God, and everything around them catches fire. So, I would like to ask: What does it mean to become who you are? And how do we do that—concretely, faithfully—in our daily lives?

Read the whole article on our website:

portlanddiocese.org

Auspice Maria: Becoming Who You Are — A Catholic Plan of Life in Light of St. Catherine of Siena

News - Diocese of Portland