Beloved First Truth – Women’s Household
The women of Beloved First Truth seek passionately to surrender ourselves to God that the fire of His love may transform us so that like St. Catherine of Siena we may say, “And what is my nature, Boundless Love? It is fire.” We seek to cultivate what our Holy Father Pope John Paul II called the “feminine genius” through contemplative prayer, sound formation of the intellect, and rich interpersonal fellowship. We take as our Meditation, Christ who is “The Way, The Truth and The Life.” (Jn. 14:6)
THE WAY: Fostering a deeper awareness of God’s Abiding Presence within
St. Catherine said to Jesus, “All the way to Heaven is Heaven because You are the Way.” Christ the Way calls us to foster a deeper awareness of His Abiding Presence in our soul moment by moment through the activities of each day, times of silent reflection, and in whatever other forms the Lord calls us. Ultimately we desire to unite our hearts with Christ through contemplative prayer. St. Catherine would remain in ecstasy for hours after having received the Eucharist, so aware was she of the True Presence. Christ invites us to participate ever more fully in the Divine Liturgy by properly preparing ourselves to enter into the most Sacred Mystery of the Holy Mass.
THE TRUTH: Fostering a love of wisdom
St. Catherine spoke of God as her Beloved First Truth. She possessed a charismatic gift of wisdom wherein she saw all things as God sees them and saw everything in relation to Him. Christ the Truth calls us to foster a greater knowledge and love of Him as the Truth from Whom comes the irrefutable truths of reality. Consecrating our time of study to God, we seek to grow in the wisdom of the First Truth and all other truths through sacred and secular study.
THE LIFE: Fostering a holy desire for Christian fellowship
Jesus said to St. Catherine, “You run to me on two feet: one with love of Me and one with love of neighbor.” St. Catherine possessed such a profound love for Christ that she zealously desired to share this love with others. No matter how hardened the sinner, St. Catherine selflessly encouraged all to live a virtuous life in Christ, expressing the confidence she had that they would overcome their sin. Christ the Life calls us to courageously bring souls into a deeper fellowship with Him. Realizing that for our love to be genuine it cannot be idle, we strive to serve one another and actively proclaim the Truth of Christ to the world.
HOUSEHOLD SYMBOL
We take as our symbol the Beloved First Truth with His crucified Body nailed to the Cross set within the flame of divine love. By the sacrifice He endured for us, our Beloved Christ captivates our hearts and allures us to surrender ourselves passionately to Him. Inviting Him to dwell deeply within us, Christ ignites our hearts with the fire of His divine love so that we may faithfully follow Him, for He is the Way to the Father, the eternal Truth, and the source of all Life.
As Beloveds, we look to St. Catherine of Siena as our inspiration, for she was seized by the Beloved First Truth and sent by Him to set the world on fire. We also seek the guidance of Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, asking that she form us in a deep love for Her Son and the Church. We commit ourselves to loving one another in service and encouraging each other in our pursuit of the Truth. Ultimately we strive to have an honest knowledge of self so that we may give richly to others and live what St. Catherine preached: “If you are who you should be, you will set the world on fire!”
