herselfthatinconfessionshetoldherconfessorthatshenolongerhadaheartinher
breast. He shook his head a little at this way of putting it, and in a joking way reproved her; but she repeated it and insisted that she meant what she said. “Truly, Father,”shesaid,“insofarasIfeelanythingatall,itseemstomethatmyhearthas beentakenawayaltogether.TheLorddidindeedappeartome,openedmyleftside,
took my heart out and went away.” Her confessor then pointed out that it is impossibletolivewithoutaheart,butthevirginrepliedthatnothingisimpossibleto God,andthatshewasconvincedthatshenolongerhadaheart.Andforsometime
shewentonrepeatingthis,thatshewaslivingwithoutaheart.
One day she was in the church of the Preaching Friars, which the Sisters of PenanceofSaintDominicinSienausedtoattend.Theothershadgoneout,butshe
wentonpraying.Finallyshecameoutofherecstasyandgotuptogohome.Allat
oncealightfromheavenencircledher,andinthelightappearedtheLord,holdingin
His holy hands a human heart, bright red and shining. At the appearance of the AuthorofLightshehadfallentotheground,tremblingallover,butHecameupto
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her,openedherleftsideonceagainandputtheheartHewasholdinginHishands insideher,saying,“Dearestdaughter,asItookyourheartawayfromyoutheother
day, now, you see, I am giving you mine, so that you can go on living with it for ever.”WiththesewordsHeclosedtheopeningHehadmadeinherside,andasasign
ofthemiracleascarremainedonthatpartofherflesh,asIandothersweretoldby
her companions who saw it. When I determined to get to the truth, she herself was obligedtoconfesstomethatthiswasso,andsheaddedthatneverafterwardshadshe
beenabletosay,“Lord,Igiveyoumyheart.”
Afterthereceptionofthisheart,then,insuchagraciousandmarvelousway,from
the abundance of its graces poured forth Catherine's great works and her most marvelousrevelations.Inpointoffactsheneverapproachedthesacredaltarwithout
being shown many things beyond the range of the senses, especially when she
receivedHolyCommunion.Sheoftensawababyhiddeninthehandsofthepriest;
sometimesitwasaslightlyolderboy;oragain,shemightseeaburningfieryfurnace,
into which the priest seemed to enter at the moment when he consumed the sacred Species. When she herself received the most adorable Sacrament, she would often smell such a strong sweet smell that she almost fainted. Seeing or receiving the SacramentoftheAltaralwaysgeneratedfreshandindescribableblissinhersoul,so
thatherheartwouldveryoftenthrobwithjoywithinherbreast,makingsuchaloud
noisethatitcouldbeheardevenbyhercompanions.Atlast,havingnoticedthisso
often,theytoldherconfessorFraTommasoaboutit.Hemadeacloseinquiryintothe
matterandonfindingitwastrue,leftthefactinwritingasanimperishablerecord.
Thisnoiseborenoresemblancetothegurglingthatgoesonnaturallyinthehuman
stomach;therewasnothingnaturalaboutthenoiseatall.Thereisnothingsurprising
inthefactthataheartgiveninasupernaturalwayshouldactinasupernaturalway
too, for, as the Prophet says, “My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the Living God,”thatistosay,“Theyhavejumpedout,intotheLivingGod.”
The Prophet says, “the living God,” to signify that this special beating or heart action,beingcausedbythetrueLife,doesnotbringdeathtothepersontowhomit
happensasitwouldintheordinarycourseofnature,butLife.
Afterthemiraculousexchangeofheartsthevirginfeltadifferentperson,andshe
saidtoherconfessorFraTommaso,“Can'tyousee,Father,thatIamnotthepersonI
was,butamchangedintosomeoneelse?”Andshewenton,“Ifonlyyoucouldunder-
stand how I feel, Father! I don't believe that anyone who really knew how I feel insidecouldbeobstinateenoughnottobesoftenedorbeproudenoughnottohumble
himself,forallthatIrevealisnothingcomparedtowhatIfeel.”Shedescribedwhat
she was experiencing, saying, “My mind is so full of joy and happiness that I am amazedmysoulstaysinmybody.”Andshealsosaid,“Thereissomuchheatinmy
soul that this material fire seems cool by comparison, rather than to be giving out heat;itseemstohavegoneout,ratherthantobestillburning.”Andagain,“Thisheat has generated in my mind a renewal of purity and humility, so that I seem to have gonebacktotheageoffourorfive.Andatthesametimesomuchloveofmyfellow-menhasblazedupinmethatIcouldfacedeathforthemcheerfullyandwithgreat
joyinmyheart.”Allthisshetoldherconfessoralone,insecret;butfromothersshe
hidasmuchasshecould.
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Words and happenings like this give some idea of this abundance the Lord had infusedintotheholyvirgin'ssoulatthistime,inawayfarbeyondtheordinary.Butif Itriedtodescribeeverythingindetailitwouldmeanwritingseveralbooks;soIhave
decidedtocollecttogetheronlyafewthingsthatneverthelessprovideextraordinary
evidenceofCatherine'ssanctity.
Youmustnowknowthen,dearestreader,thatwhilethisabundanceofgraceswas
beingpouredfromonhighintoCatherine'ssoul,manyremarkablevisionswerebeing
revealedtoherfromheaven,anditwouldbeasintopassthemalloverinsilence.
First of all the King of Kings appeared to her with the Queen of heaven, His Mother,andMaryMagdalene,tocomfortandstrengthenherinherholyintentions.
TheLordsaidtoher,“Whatdoyouwant?”Andshe,weeping,saidtoHim,asPeter
haddone,“Lord,youknowwhatIwant;youknow,becauseIhavenowillbutyours
andnoheartbutyours.”AtthatmomentsherememberedhowMaryMagdalenehad
givenherselfwhollytoChristwhenshehadweptatHisfeet;andshebegantofeel
something of the delightful sweetness and love that the Magdalene must have
experiencedatthattime;andsosheturnedhereyestowardsher.TheLord,asthough
tosatisfyCatherine'sdesire,saidtoher,“Sweetestdaughter,foryourgreatercomfort I give you Mary Magdalene for your mother. Turn to her in absolute confidence; I entrust her with a special care of you.” The virgin gratefully accepted this offer, commendedherselfwithgreathumilityandvenerationtotheMagdalene,andbegged
herearnestlyandpassionatelytotakecareofhernowthatshehadbeenentrustedto
herbytheLord.FromthatmomentthevirginfeltentirelyatonewiththeMagdalene
andalwaysreferredtoherashermother.
Inmyviewthishadaveryserioussignificance.AsMaryMagdalenespentthirty-
three years—a period of time which equals the Savior's own age—in her cave in continualcontemplationwithouttakinganyfood,so,fromthetimeofthisvisionuntil
the time she was thirty-three, when she died, Catherine devoted herself with such fervortothecontemplationoftheMostHighthat,feelingnoneedoffood,shefound
nourishment for her mind with the abundance of graces she received. And as Mary Magdalenewastakenupintotheairbytheangelsseventimesadaysothatshecould
listentothemysteriesofGod,soCatherinewasformostofthetimetakenoutofthe
world of
the senses by the power of the Spirit, to contemplate heavenly things and praise the Lord with the Angels. The result was that her body was frequently lifted intotheair,asmanypeople,bothmenandwomen,claimtohaveseen.Butweshall
discussthisinmoredetaillater.
Duringtheseraptures,whileshewascontemplatingthemarvelsofGod,shewould
beallthewhilemutteringwonderfulphrasesandthemostprofoundsayings,someof
whichwerewrittendown,asweshallexplainwhenthetimecomes.
On the feast day of the Apostle's conversion our virgin was rapt in ecstasy and her spiritascendedsohighthatforthreedaysandnightsshegavenottheslightestsignof life.Thosepresentbelievedherdead,oronthepointofdeath.Afew,however,who
understoodwhatwashappeningconsideredthatshehadbeentakenupbytheApostle
into the third heaven. Time passed, and the ecstasy came to an end; but her spirit, drunkwiththeheavenlythingsithadseen,seemedsoreluctanttoreturntothethings
ofearththatsheremainedinasortofdaze,likeadrunkardwhoisstupefiedbutnot
53
asleep.
Iwentofftoseeherinastateoftheutmostconcern,anddidallIcouldtofindout
what she was thinking, imploring her to tell me the truth. Instead of answering me, sheburstintotears.Afterawhileshesaid,“Father,wouldyoufeelsorryforasoul
that had been freed from a dark prison, seen a light that made her blissfully happy, andthenwasonceagainlockedupindarkness?Thatunhappypersonisme!Andit
allhappenedtomebecauseofmyownfault,God'sprovidencehavingsodecreed.”
These words increased my curiosity to know how anything so portentous had
happened to her, and I said, “Mother, was your soul really separated from your body?”Shereplied,“ThefireofDivineLoveandthelongingtobeunitedwithHimI
love had burned so high that even if my heart had been made of stone or steel it wouldhavebeensplitapartinjustthesameway.
“Iamconvincedthatnocreatedthingcouldhavemademyheartproofagainstthe
violence of that love. So you can take it as certain that my heart broke from top to bottomandsplitapart,solelyasaresultoftheviolenceofthatlove,andIstillseem abletofeelthewoundthatsplittingapartmade.Thiswillgiveyousomeideawhether
mysoulwasseparatedfrommybody.AndIsawdivinemysteriesthatnolivingsoul
canutterbecausememoryhasnoholdoverthemandtherearenowordscapableof
describingthingssosublime:anywordsthatwereusedwouldbelikemudcompared
withgold.OnethingIdoretainfromtheexperience,however,isthis;thatwheneverI
hearpeopletalkingaboutwhathappenedtomeIgetveryupset,becauseitreminds
me of what a worthless state I have been reduced to after rising to such heights of nobility;andtheonlywaymydisappointmentcanexpressitselfisintears.”
On hearing this, desirous as I was to learn the most minute details of what had happenedtoher,Isaid,“Mother,youneverkeepanysecretsfromme;well,then,I
begyou,describethismiraculouseventtomedowntothelastdetail.”Shesaid:“In
thosedays,aftermanyecstasiesandvisionsandafterreceivingmanyspiritualfavors
from the Lord, I fell ill, entirely overcome by love of Him, and had to go to bed, where I prayed to him continuously to take me from the body of this death, that I mightbemorecloselyunitedwithHim.Ididnotobtainthis,butIdidfinallymanage
togetHimtocommunicatethepainsthatHehadfelttome,insofarasIwasableto
bearthem.”
ThenshetoldmewhatIhaverelatedaboveabouttheLord'sPassion.Shewenton:
“FromtheseteachingsaboutHisPassionIgotamuchclearerideaofhowmuchmy
Creatorhadlovedme,andthissoincreasedmylovethatIlanguishedtothepointof
wanting only one thing, that my soul should depart from my body. Each day He himself increased the fire that He had lit within my heart until It could bear it no longer,andthelovebecameasstrongasdeath:thentheheartbrokeintwo,asIsaid,
andmysoulwassetfreefromthisfleshofmine.Butunfortunatelyforalltooshorta
time!”
“Howlong,”Iasked,“didyoursoulremainoutsidethebody?”“Thosewhosaw
mydeath,”sheanswered,“saythatfourhourselapsedbetweenthetimeIexpiredand
thetimeIcamebacktolife.Quitealotofpeopleintheneighborhoodwentandtold
my mother and family the sad news. But my soul, which believed it had entered eternity,lostallaccountoftime.”
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“Andduringthosehours,Mother,whatdidyousee,”Iasked.“Howdidyoursoul comebackintothebody?Tellmeallaboutit:don'thideanythingfromme.”
“Father,” Catherine said, “my soul saw and understood everything in the other world that to us is invisible: that is to say, the glory of the Saints and the pains of sinners.Ihavealreadytoldyou:thememorycannotkeepanythingofitandwordsare
notadequatetodescribeit;butasfarasIcanIwilltrytotellyouaboutit.Youcanbe certain, then, that my soul contemplated the Divine Essence; that is why I am now alwayssodiscontentedwithbeingintheprisonofthebody.IfIwasnotsustainedby
loveofHimandloveofmyfellow-men,forwhomHesentmebackintotheworld,I
shoulddieofmisery.Nevertheless,itisinfinitecomforttometoknowthatIsuffer
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 comforttomysoul,asyouandtheotherswhoarewithmecanwitnessdaily.
From TheLifeofSt.CatherineofSienabyBlessedRaymondofCapua.
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KABIR
56
SEVEN
KABIR
CIRCA1440–1518,INDIA
KABIR,aweaverbytrade,wassimpleanduneducated,yethehadlittlepatiencefor
narrow-mindednessofspirit,whetherHinduorMuslim.Rather,hesoughttodancein
pure rapture with the infinite, the fathomless. This heart-filled mystic spoke to the common folk of his day: the priests and the warriors, tradesmen and barbers, washwomen and carpenters, sadhus (wandering spiritual seekers) and beggars. An ecstatic poet, artisan, musician, husband, and father, Kabir rejected austerities and foundlittlevirtueinasceticism.
Born in the most sacred Hindu city of Benares (Varanasi), at an early age Kabir wasdrawntoarenownedHinduguru,Ramananda.Convincedtherewasnowaythat
aHinduteacherwouldacceptaMuslimdisciple,Kabirhidonthestepsoftheriver
Ganges,knowingthatRamanandawouldsoonneedtocrosshispathonthewayto
the bathing ghat, where Hindus performed their daily ablutions. As the master inadvertentlysteppedonKabir,Ramanandashouted“Ram,”aHindunameforGod.
Kabirclaimedthistobehismantraofinitiation.
Bound by neither Hinduism nor Islam, Kabir courted the Beloved in its infinite, eternal, limitless form. Kabir's ecstatic expressions bear great similarity to those of Rumi and other Sufi poets. Proclaiming himself to be “the child of Allah and of Ram,”heurgedsadhusandmonkstorejoiceratherthanretreat.“Thereisnothingbut
waterattheholybathingplaces;andIknowthattheyareuseless,forIhavebathedin them.”ForKa
bir,themysticalsearchlaybeyondimages,rituals,orscriptures.
Kabir'spoetrycelebrateshissublimeloveaffairwiththeDivine.Hisheartdances
with joy, unstruck music resounds, streams of light flow in all directions, and the fragranceofsandalwoodandflowerspermeatestheatmosphere.TheBelovedgleams
like a flash of lightning, a chorus of music fills the heavens day and night. An overflowing heart drunk with Divine spirit, a swan having taken flight to the lake beyondthemountains,theravishedeyesoftheLoverunitedwiththeBeloved.These
are the passionate reveries of one who has himself become intoxicated with and ravished by God. For Kabir, a moment engaged in anything less than the most passionatedevotiontoultimateunionwasawastedone,fullofmiseryandunfulfilled
longing.
It is of little surprise that such an outspoken, free thinker was the object of persecutionbyhiscontemporaries.UltimatelybanishedfromBenaresaroundtheage
of sixty, Kabir spent the next eighteen years pursuing ever more passionately his longingforonenesswithhisbelovedGod.Thestorygoesthat,afterKabir'sdeath,the
Muslims insisted on burying his body and the Hindus on cremating his remains.
Amidsttheirarguing,Kabirappearedbeforethem,instructingthemtolifttheshroud
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andexaminewhatlaybeneathit.Theretheyfoundonlyflowers,halfofwhichwere buriedaccordingtoIslamictradition,theotherhalfburnedinBenares.Evenindeath,
Kabir'sspiritwouldnotbeboundbythelimitationsofasinglecreed.
These Kabir poems are the famous Indian poet and writer Rabindrath Tagore's
translationfromtheoriginalHindi.ThefirstlinefromtheHindileadseachpiece.
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BEYONDDOGMATODIVINITY
grahcandratapanjotvarathai
Thelightofthesun,themoon,andthestarsshinesbright:
The melody of love swells forth, and the rhythm of love's detachment beats the time.
Dayandnight,thechorusofmusicfillstheheavens;andKabirsays
Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages Page 6