Today is the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena. She, St. Teresa of Avila (who edged her out to become my confirmation saint, partly because I already have C’s name), and more recently St. Therese of Lisieux, are the only 3 women who have been named Doctors of the Church.

She was a mystic, and you can read all about her by Googling her. Here’s an exchange between my mom and me on the topic:

Mom: St. Catherine of Siena said that when she took the host she could feel the bones of Jesus crunching between her teeth.

Me: Yeah, she was pretty intense.

Mom: Kind of overdoing the understatement, eh?

Also, a favorite quote of mine:

“If I was not sustained by love of Him and the love of my fellow-men, for whom He sent me back into the world, I should die of misery. Nevertheless, it is infinite comfort to me to know that I suffer what I do suffer: it is through suffering that I shall enjoy a more sublime vision of God. For this reason alone, my tribulations do not weigh on me; in fact they bring comfort to my soul, as you and the others who are with me can witness daily.”