Love pushed Him

Playing a bit with today's Gospel reading, the account of Jesus and the Pharisees discussing the "image" of Caesar on the Roman coin (Mk12:13-17),.....

....here is a snippet of prayer from Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380), Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, Co-patroness of Europe

From Dialogues, chapter 13

"In becoming man, God restored in us the image of the Trinity,... Eternal Love…

I ask this grace of you: have mercy on your people in the name of the eternal love, which pushed you to create the human being in your image and likeness (Gen 1:26)…

You only did that, O eternal Trinity, because you yourself wanted to let the human being participate in everything. That is why you gave him memory, so that he might remember your kindnesses and thus participate in your power, O eternal Father.

That is why you gave him intelligence, so that he might understand your goodness and thus participate in the wisdom of your only Son. That is why you gave him will, so that he might love what he sees and know your truth, and thus participate in the love of your Holy Spirit.

Who pushed you to give such dignity to the human being? The inexhaustible love with which you looked at your creature in yourself… [But] because of sin, your creature lost this dignity…

Pushed by that same fire with which you had created us, you then… gave us the Word, your only Son… He fulfilled your will, eternal Father, when you clothed him with our humanity, in the image and likeness of our nature.

O abyss of love! Which heart could defend itself for not giving in to your love when seeing the Most High joining the lowliness of our humanity? We are your image and you are ours through the union that you consummated in man by covering your divinity with Adam’s clay (Gen 2:7)…


What pushed you to do that? Love! You, God, became man, and man became God. By that unspeakable love I beg you, have mercy on your creatures."