Jesus was the epitome of contemplation in action. He was a model contemplative, withdrawing from people at regular intervals for intentional prayer. Yet he was also an activist, healing the sick and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. His rich inner life directed his dynamic outer life. Separating contemplation from action leads to a distortion in either direction. Contemplation without action leads to self-absorption. Action without contemplation leads to burnout.
Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) sought to balance contemplation with action. She was a contemplative of the highest order, rigorous in her practice of prayer, meditation and fasting. Her principal writing, the Dialog, reveals an intimate conversation between her soul and God. She discusses with Jesus weighty matters like the reform of his church and the conversion of the world. Yet her life with Christ also involved “blood, sweat and tears,” a favorite phrase to Catherine.
At a time when religious vocations for women were limited to the convent, she had the ear of popes and princes. She served as a key advisor to two popes, addressing them in letters affectionately as “Babbo” (Daddy) instead of the formal address “Your Highness.” She travelled throughout Italy urging reform for clergy and reconciling warring factions in her city. She was sent on several vital diplomatic missions. Many of her four hundred letters that survive demonstrate her activism in many directions.
Was she successful in merging contemplation with action? Her influence was considerable, yet she also died prematurely after years of extreme fasting. Whether she suffered from anorexia remains a matter of scholarly debate. Regardless, her recorded prayers display the depth of her spirituality and her genuine seeking after God: