The Seven Spiritual Weapons

From Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis on Saint Catherine of Bologna:

Saint Catherine of Bologna's Seven Weapons in the fight against evil, against the devil:

1. always to be careful and diligently strive to do good; 

2. to believe that alone we will never be able to do something truly good; 

3. to trust in God and, for love of him, never to fear in the battle against evil, either in the world or within ourselves; 

4. to meditate often on the events and words of the life of Jesus, and especially on his Passion and his death; 

5. to remember that we must die; 

6. to focus our minds firmly on memory of the goods of Heaven; 

7. to be familiar with Sacred Scripture, always cherishing it in our hearts so that it may give direction to all our thoughts and all our actions. 

A splendid programme of spiritual life, today too, for each one of us!

Dear friends, with her words and with her life, St Catherine of Bologna is a pressing invitation to let ourselves always be guided by God, to do his will daily, even if it often does not correspond with our plans, to trust in his Providence which never leaves us on our own. In this perspective, St Catherine speaks to us; from the distance of so many centuries she is still very modern and speaks to our lives. 

She, like us, suffered temptations, she suffered the temptations of disbelief, of sensuality, of a difficult spiritual struggle. She felt forsaken by God, she found herself in the darkness of faith. Yet in all these situations she was always holding the Lord’s hand, she did not leave him, she did not abandon him. And walking hand in hand with the Lord, she walked on the right path and found the way of light.

So it is that she also tells us: take heart, even in the night of faith, even amidst our many doubts, do not let go of the Lord’s hand, walk hand in hand with him, believe in God’s goodness. This is how to follow the right path! 

And I would like to stress another aspect: her great humility. She was a person who did not want to be someone or something; she did not care for appearances, she did not want to govern. She wanted to serve, to do God’s will, to be at the service of others. And for this very reason Catherine was credible in her authority, because she was able to see that for her authority meant, precisely, serving others. 

Let us ask God, through the intercession of Our Saint, for the gift to achieve courageously and generously the project he has for us, so that he alone may be the firm rock on which our lives are built.

General Audience - December 29, 2010