Catherine of Siena, justly doctor of the church?

THIRTY YEARS LATER

So now, more than thirty years later, I take my turn! Why would I today name Catherine of Siena doctor of the church? Examining this mass of documents as a person of faith has brought me to ponder once again the centrality of faith to all that Catherine did, said, wrote, and was. There is no issue in the life or works of this woman that can be considered apart from faith. As a member of the Roman Catholic Church, I have come through my confrontation with these documents to a new appreciation of the sincerity and commitment of all involved, as well as the constraints dictated by the historical, theological, ecclesiological, and sociological vantage points from which each approached the questions. As a student of Catherine's life and thought from theological, linguistic, historical, and literary perspectives, I have found fascinating dynamics at work at every level of the canonical process. I have been struck repeatedly by the contrasts with my own vantage points and enlightened in my attempts to enter into a dialogue with those other vantage points. So why would I-today, as a person of faith, as a Roman Catholic Christian, and as a student of Catherine's life and thought-name Catherine of Siena doctor of the church?

I must begin with Catherine's own view of doctors of the church. Consider first the texts.

The way that [Christ] taught . . . has been verified by the apostles and proclaimed in the blood of the martyrs. It has been lighted up by the doctors, attested to by the confessors, and committed to writing by the evangelists. All of these are living witnesses to the truth in the mystic body of holy church. They are like lamps set on a lampstand to point out the way of truth, perfectly lighted, that leads to life. And how do they tell you? From experience, for they have experienced it in themselves. So every one of you has enough light to know the truth if you but will, that is, if you do not decide to put out the light of your reason by your perverse selfishness.18

By this light set in his mind's eye Thomas [Aquinas] saw me and there gained the light of great learning. Augustine, Jerome, and my other holy doctors, enlightened by my Truth, understood and knew my Truth in the midst of darkness. I am referring to holy scripture, which seemed darksome because it was not understood . . . . So I sent these lamps to enlighten blind and dense understandings. They raised their mind's eye to know the truth in the midst of darkness, and I the Fire, the one who accepted their sacrifice, carried them off and gave them light, not naturally but beyond all nature, and in the midst of darkness they received the light and so came to know the truth. So what had seemed darksome before now appears most perfectly lightsome to every sort of person-to the dense as well as to the discerning. All receive according to their capacity and according to their readiness to know me, for I do not spurn their dispositions. So you see, the eye of understanding has received a light beyond any natural light, infused by grace, and in this light the doctors and the other saints came to know the truth in the midst of darkness, and from the darkness light was made.19