Saint Catherine of Bologna was born in Italy on September 8, 1413, and died on March 9, 1463. We observed her feast day last week.
Due to her father’s connections, Catherine spent time as a youngster as an attendant to the daughter of a marquis. As a 
result, she learned a great deal about literature and the fine arts, studying music, painting, and dancing, and writing poetry and literary works. However, when she was just fourteen, she chose to leave the court and join a religious community. Eventually, she became a Poor Clare, which is when she began receiving visions of the Blessed Virgin and Christ, including a horrifying one of the Last Judgment.
Shortly before her death, Catherine gave her confessor a copy of her manuscript we know as the Treatise on the Seven Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare.
Saint Catherine said in the treatise: To combat evil it is necessary: “(1) to be careful always to do good; (2) to believe that we can never achieve anything truly good by ourselves; (3) to trust in God and, for His love, never to fear the battle against evil, either in the world or in ourselves; (4) to meditate frequently on the events and words of
Jesus’ life, especially His passion and death; (5) to remember that we must die; (6) to keep the benefits of heaven firmly in our minds, (7) to be familiar with Holy Scripture, keeping it in our hearts to guide all our thoughts and actions.”
It’s interesting, isn’t it, the way God can use any of our life experiences to help us do His will? Saint Catherine’s exposure to the arts as a child surely must have influenced her path as a writer late in life. How is God calling on you today to use a skill or knowledge you acquired years ago?
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