Last Wednesday I saw “Catherine of Siena: A Woman for our Time” at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a one-woman play performed by Dominican sister Nancy Murray (who happens to be the sister of actor Bill Murray). The event was a fundraiser for Holy Family Cristo Del Rey Catholic High School in Birmingham’s Ensley neighborhood. For me, it was a good cause and an interesting topic, so I gladly purchased a ticket.
Sister Murray’s portrayal of Catherine of Siena brought the saint to life and let us see how she influenced her world in the 14th century by her insights and actions. During Catherine’s short life of 33 years, she served as a confessor for prisoners, a counselor to civic leaders, and she spoke truth to power to influence the actions of popes and kings. Her life was formed by conversational prayer and a desire to minister to the sick, the needy, and those in prison (as Jesus called us all to do).
The beauty of Sister Murray’s performance was in how she let us see Catherine’s life unfold before us and in showing how her admonitions for living apply to us in our world today. We observed how Catherine came to see that life was to be lived by “walking on two legs: love for God and love for neighbor.” From there she came to understand that love for God is love for neighbor – that we are God’s own hands and feet in helping one another.
While there is benefit in studying the lives of the saints, sometimes that process seems stuffy and contrived. Sister Murray’s performance helped us to see a real life truly lived. She inspired us to renew our attention to conversation with God and love for our neighbor.
You can find out more about Sister Nancy Murray and her one-woman play at http://nancymurray.adriandominicans.org/.
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