Feb 13th - Catherine de Ricci

It is not without effect what we choose to do with our lives. How we choose to interpret and live out the events of our life will also have effect. We often want to attribute to "the human spirit" such qualities as grit, resolve, and courage in the face of suffering and overwhelming odds only in a "human" way, ignoring the "spirit" part of the phrase.
For us believers though, the emphasis is not on human but on spirit. We believe that we are led by the Holy Spirit to do Godly things, to do His will, and as Jesus shows us, that is what makes us truly human.
Catherine was a mystic, a stigmatic, and beset with visions of Christ's suffering and death but it is the will of God that punctuates all her sufferings and belief. By being led by the Spirit to do God's will we perfect ourselves and those around us. This is the spirit by which humans in-spire (yes I did that) others.

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If, then, my daughter, you would be the true spouses of Jesus, you must do His holy will in all things; and you will do this if you entirely give up your own will on every occasion, and if you love the divine Spouse with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole strength. Then, you must carefully attend to the following points (but it is necessary to weigh all these words), as they contain the summary of Christian perfection:

1. We must force ourselves to Detach the heart and the will from all earthly love; to love no fleeting things, except for the love of God; and, above all, not to love God for our own sakes for self-interest, but with a love as pure as His own goodness.
   
2. We must Direct all our thoughts, words and actions to His honor; and by prayer, counsel, and good example seek His glory solely, whether for ourselves or for others, so that through our means all may love and honor God. This second thing is more pleasing to Him than the first, as it better fulfills His will.
3. We must aim more and more at the Accomplishment of the divine will: not only desiring nothing special to happen to us, bad or even good, in this wretched life, and thus keeping ourselves always at God’s disposal, with heart and soul at peace; but also believing with a firm faith that Almighty God loves us more than we love ourselves, and takes more care of us than we could take care of ourselves.
   

The more we conform to this way of acting, the more we shall find God present to help us, and the more we shall experience His most gentle love.

-- From a Letter to a Nun

I do beg you, my dearest son, to keep on conforming your will to God’s. You know that our coming into and departing from this world has nothing to do with our will and knowledge, but depends on the will of the all-powerful God, and you know too that no one can oppose his holy will. So it would be a foolish man who wanted to oppose one who can annihilate us in an instant, just as fire in an instant melts wax.

-- From a Letter to Bonaccorso Bonaccorsi? (Can't determine the exact reference for this)