Tomorrow is the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Her relics are kept in a golden sarcophagus in a sixth century monastery built on the supposed site where Moses saw the burning bush.
St. Catherine was blessed with great intellect as well as great beauty. Once, while studying in the great Library of Alexandria, she nodded off and dreamt of a beautiful woman holding a little boy on her lap. The lady asked her son if he would like to marry Catherine. He replied that she was too ugly. Catherine awoke from the dream weeping. A man came to her and asked what was wrong, so she told him her dream. He interpreted that the lady in her dream was the Virgin Mary and the boy was Jesus. He said that Jesus found her ugly because she was unbaptized and her soul was stained with sin.
St. Catherine was blessed with great intellect as well as great beauty. Once, while studying in the great Library of Alexandria, she nodded off and dreamt of a beautiful woman holding a little boy on her lap. The lady asked her son if he would like to marry Catherine. He replied that she was too ugly. Catherine awoke from the dream weeping. A man came to her and asked what was wrong, so she told him her dream. He interpreted that the lady in her dream was the Virgin Mary and the boy was Jesus. He said that Jesus found her ugly because she was unbaptized and her soul was stained with sin.
Catherine proceeded to take instruction in the faith and was baptized. After her baptism, she dreamt of the lady and her son again. In this dream, the Christ Child placed a ring on Catherine's finger as a sigh that she belonged to Him.
In 305, Catherine fell victim to Diocletian's persecution of Christians. She was urged to renounce her faith and countered by offering to defend Christianity in a public debate. She not only confounded her opponents, she converted them. Enraged, the emperor's delegate had Catherine put to death.
She is the patron Saint of libraries and librarians among other things.
In 305, Catherine fell victim to Diocletian's persecution of Christians. She was urged to renounce her faith and countered by offering to defend Christianity in a public debate. She not only confounded her opponents, she converted them. Enraged, the emperor's delegate had Catherine put to death.
She is the patron Saint of libraries and librarians among other things.
No comments:
Post a Comment