The Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin Catherine of Siena

by Saint Catherine of Siena

Publisher:

Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.

, 1896

Overview

After providing an in-depth introduction on the study of mysticism, Algar Thorold provides the English translation of Catherine of Siena's Dialogue, a series of colloquies divided into four treatises: “A Treatise of Divine Providence,” “A Treatise of Discretion,” “A Treatise of Prayer,” and “A Treatise of Obedience.”

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Key Features

• Presents four treatises by a Doctor of the Church
• Offers insight into the Middle Ages

Contents

Top Highlights

“A secret sin is when you deprive your neighbour of that which you ought to give him; an open sin is where you perform positive acts of sin, as I have related to thee. It is, therefore, indeed the truth that every sin done against Me, is done through the medium of the neighbour.’” (Page 31)

“For this reason (if the soul elect to love Me) she should elect to endure pains for Me in whatever mode or circumstance I may send them to her. Patience cannot be proved in any other way than by suffering, and patience is united with love as has been said. Therefore bear yourselves with manly courage, for, unless you do so, you will not prove yourselves to be spouses of My Truth, and faithful children, nor of the company of those who relish the taste of My honour, and the salvation of souls.’” (Page 28)

“‘Very pleasing to Me, dearest daughter, is the willing desire to bear every pain and fatigue, even unto death, for the salvation of souls, for the more the soul endures, the more she shows that she loves Me; loving Me she comes to know more of My truth, and the more she knows, the more pain and intolerable grief she feels at the offences committed against Me.” (Page 28)

“by which we can see that it is, indeed, through the effect of love, that the soul becomes another Himself.” (Page 19)

“‘O Eternal Father, I accuse myself before Thee, in order that Thou mayest punish me for my sins in this finite life, and, inasmuch as my sins are the cause of the sufferings which my neighbour must endure, I implore Thee, in Thy kindness, to punish them in my person.’” (Page 21)

Praise for the Print Edition

Mr. Thorold decidedly deserves the thanks of students of mysticism for his fine rendering of the Dialogue, and for his scholarly introduction. The Dialogue is a treasure-house of devotional inspiration to those who can read aright its messages, and the place it has held in the Church is sufficient guarantee of its astounding intellectual merit and its salutary efficacy.

—Freeman’s Journal

Those who study mystical literature owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Algar Thorold for rendering into English one of the great classics of mysticism. . . . Mr. Thorold’s translation reads easily and well.

—Scotsman

Mr. Thorold’s excellent essay on Mysticism shows an extensive acquaintance with leaders of modern thought outside the Catholic Church, and their views on the supernatural. The subject is beset with dangers, but the author has written nothing that is not in accordance with sound theology.

—Tablet

Product Details

• Title: On Union with God
• Author: Saint Catherine of Siena
• Translator: Algar Thorold
• Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.
• Publication Date: 1896
• Pages: 360
• Christian Group: Catholic
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Medieval Church

About Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Catherine of Siena T.O.S. D (25 March 1347 in Siena – 29 April 1380 in Rome) was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is one of the two patron saints of Italy, together with Francis of Assisi.