Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Recognise God’s graces to you, and instead of thinking of yourself and your faults, try to do all you can for God, and love Him more.

COMMENT: One danger in the spiritual life is that we become self-absorbed with our own sins and weaknesses and progress. Of course, in all things balance is needed. We must be aware of our faults and strive to overcome them, but we must always keep the primary focus on Christ rather than on ourselves.

Today the Church presents to us the lives of two interesting women of very different backgrounds whose feasts occur today.

St Elizabeth Ann Seton was a convert from Episcopalianism. She had married into a wealthy family and had five children, although she was left impoverished when her husband died. On her conversion to Catholicism, which scandalised some of her Episcopalian friends, she established a school in Boston. She was then invited to establish a school in Baltimore and ultimately ended up founding a religious community which is today known as the Sisters of Charity of New York.

Today is also the feast of Saint Angela of Foligno who lived in the 13th century, and was canonised by Pope Francis in 2013 (although without a public ceremony). She too was married, and described the first 30 years of her life as mortally sinful and adulterous. She was very attached to the pleasures of the world, and seems to have even made bad Confessions and received sacrilegious Communions. She reformed her life, and after the death of her husband and children, became a Franciscan tertiary and great mystic who also provided for the poor and the destitute.

Instead of thinking of themselves and their faults, both St Elizabeth Ann Seton and St Angela of Foligno experienced the healing power of Christ and completely changed their lives and in the process transformed the lives of those around them. Surely the Episcopalian Elizabeth Ann Seton never imagined herself founding Catholic schools and a religious community; surely the adulterous Angela of Foligno never imagined herself a mystic who would still be remembered 700 years after her death. Similarly, the young Willie Doyle, with his constant stomach sicknesses and nervous breakdown probably never imagined that his heroism would be remembered and admired a century after his death.

God has his plans; if we love Him with all our heart He will lead us in ways we cannot yet imagine.

Saint Angela of Foligno