Reflection for Feria Tertia, within the 24th Week after Pentecost – In the Spirit of S. Catharinæ Virginis et Martyris, III Classis
In this sacred time of the year, as the Church begins to turn her gaze toward the end of all things and the coming of the Lord, today’s readings are profoundly fitting. They urge the soul to vigilance, gratitude, and holy wisdom, echoing the sanctity and steadfastness of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr—virgo sapiens and sponsa Christi.
“I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord and King, and will praise Thee, O God my Saviour” (Ecclus 51:1).
In this final chapter of Ecclesiasticus, the inspired writer—traditionally considered to be Jesus ben Sirach—raises a hymn of thanksgiving to God for deliverance from manifold dangers. The soul is here portrayed as having passed through tribulation and persecution, echoing the journey of every saint, and most especially that of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the learned and courageous maiden who withstood the philosophies of the world and the violence of tyrants for the sake of Christ her Spouse.
The Fathers often extol thanksgiving as the perpetual mark of the righteous. Saint John Chrysostom writes, “There is nothing more pleasing to God than a soul that is thankful and gives praise in all things” (Homilies on the Statues, Homily 19). Indeed, Catherine’s entire martyrdom was itself a hymn of praise—offered not with words only, but with her life. She turned from the grandeur of pagan learning, having mastered it, and submitted all to Christ, Wisdom incarnate.
Note, too, how the soul in Sirach cries out from the depth of suffering: “Thou hast been my helper… and Thou hast delivered me… from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me” (v. 2). What is this but a figure of the soul’s deliverance from sin, error, and the snares of the devil? Saint Augustine remarks that such deliverance is not merely external rescue but the healing of the will: “For what is the salvation of the soul, if not that she be saved from her own perversity?” (Enarrationes in Psalmos 70).
And having been saved, the soul proclaims: “Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, and praise Thee, and bless the name of the Lord” (v. 12). This threefold doxology mirrors the praise due to the Most Holy Trinity—a fitting end for one who, like Catherine, gave her entire self in fidelity to the Triune God.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom (Matt 25:1).
Our Lord’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins, set within His eschatological discourse, powerfully complements the praise of Sirach. Saint Catherine is among those wise virgins whose lamps burned brightly with the oil of divine charity and the light of sacred doctrine. In her we see fulfilled the counsel of Saint Gregory the Great: “He who longs for the coming of the Bridegroom must take care lest the lamp of his faith be extinguished by sloth” (Homilies on the Gospels, 12).
The five foolish virgins had lamps, but no oil. That is, they had the outward signs of religion but not the inward fire of love and perseverance. Saint Jerome comments: “They seemed to be virgins in body, but were not in heart; they had lamps in their hands, but not the oil of good works in their vessels” (Commentary on Matthew, 25). Catherine, by contrast, was not only virginal in body but, more profoundly, aflame with the love of God, confirmed by her bold witness even unto death.
“But at midnight there was a cry made: Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him” (v. 6). Midnight—the hour of judgment, unexpected and final. The Church bids us keep vigil as this liturgical year wanes, to not be caught unaware. Saint Ambrose exhorts: “Let your soul be like a faithful virgin, keeping vigil with the oil of charity, so that when the Bridegroom comes, you may enter with Him into the marriage feast” (On Virgins, I.7).
A Saint of Wisdom and Watchfulness
In Saint Catherine, we see the convergence of both readings: a soul saved by grace and kept watchful by wisdom. Her learning, though immense, was purified and elevated by faith. Her virginity was not merely physical purity, but a total consecration of mind and will to Christ. She lived with her lamp ever burning, illumined by both intellect and love, until the Bridegroom came and called her to the heavenly wedding feast.
Let us, then, imitate her watchfulness. Let us examine the oil of our lamps: Do we cultivate the virtues daily? Do we nourish our soul with the Sacraments, sacred study, and acts of charity? Are we prepared to meet the Bridegroom if He comes tonight?
Saint Catherine, virgin wise and martyr faithful, intercede for us, that we too may be numbered among the wise virgins who enter with joy into the eternal nuptials of the Lamb.
Suggested Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, Bridegroom of chaste souls, who didst make Saint Catherine wise in counsel, fearless in speech, and steadfast in martyrdom, grant that we, instructed by her example and helped by her prayers, may keep watch in faith and enter rejoicing into Thy presence at Thy coming. Amen.