Book Review: A Retreat with Catherine of Siena
Book Review: A Retreat with Catherine of Siena: Living the Truth
in Love by Elizabeth A. Dreyer Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger
Press, 1999
Elizabeth Dreyer, who has a Ph.D. in historical theology,
invites us to spend seven days reflecting on the life and wisdom
of Catherine of Siena in "A Retreat with Catherine of Siena:
Living the Truth in Love." Catherine Benincasa was born March
25, 1347 and lived a mere thirty-three years. During her brief
life, she was known for her acts of penance, strong will, and
outspoken activity in the public sphere. Much to her mother's
chagrin, Catherine rejected marriage at the age of sixteen and
instead joined the Dominican Mantellate, a group of mostly older
widows devoted to lives of prayer and service. From her
mid-twenties on, she became deeply involved in both Church and
State politics. She is best known for her attempts to convince
Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from his exile in Avignon and
her later efforts to end the schism that resulted when two Popes
were elected by two different church factions.
Each retreat day focuses on a theme that was important in
Catherine's life, such as: living in the Truth, cultivating
self-knowledge, confronting illusion, being made in God's image,
discernment of spirits, and cultivating wisdom. While Dreyer
acknowledges that Catherine's world was very different from our
own, these themes are as important in our own day as they were
in Catherine's. Each retreat day includes an opening prayer,
reflection, questions for further thought, and a closing prayer.
Dreyer relies on Catherine's own writings and letters to create
clear, concise, thought-provoking reflections. "A Retreat with
Catherine of Siena" offers an introduction to Catherine's
thought and ways to make it applicable in our own lives. For as
Dreyer states, "the final truth about God and about ourselves is
that we are called to lay down our lives for the other. We do
this not 'in the woods,' but in the ways and woof of daily
existence, in our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhood, our
community, our world."