The Fullness of Life
A God-centered life (Part III)
As mentioned earlier, it is possible to live a God-centered life amidst the distractions of secular life.
In the life situations of two medieval women, selected for our examples because of the unique circumstances in the life of each, we could see how their lives remained untarnished by the distracting concerns around as they constantly turned to God and submitted wholeheartedly to the respective missions He had entrusted to them.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, born in 1207, daughter of Andrew, King of Hungary and Queen Gertrude, died quite young at the age of 24, and yet within 4 years after her death she was canonized. Married to Loui (or Ludwig) IV of Thuringia, they had three children. In spite of her very busy life, especially after the death of her husband, her thoughts were constantly centered on God and on how to care for the poor, ever mindful of the Words of Christ,"Whatever you did to the least of My brethren you did it to Me."
A biographer of hers commented that perhaps more than any other saint St. Elizabeth combined within herself the virtues of Mary (contemplative) and Martha (apostolic). She would always slip away from the castle to visit the poor in their houses, bringing food and clothings and looked after their other needs. And yet from early dawn to the end of the day she was often absorbed in prayer. Prayer was her nourishment and her consolation in the many sufferings that she underwent. For this great mystic and patroness of Catholic charities, prayer and care for the poor are the two pivots that kept her life centered on God.
St. Catherine was born at Siena, Italy in 1347, the 23rd child of the twenty-five children of Giacomo and Lapa Benincasa who belonged to the middle-class families of Siena at that time. She made her vow of virginity at the age of seven and for this reason she firmly refused to be given up to marriage by her parents. Consequently her family made life almost unbearable for her. She was given all the house chores, and she patiently served her big family with great cheerfulness and humility. While she was, practically, deprived of time and solitude for prayer, she nevertheless never ceased in turning her heart and mind to God. Considering her heart as her cloister, she would constantly withdraw into her heart to commune with God even in the midst of constant noise and activity.
(To be continued)