St Catherine of Siena

Paul Murray OP examines the depth and range of Catherines vision of freedom, claiming that until now her understanding of freedom has received surprisingly little attention from readers and scholars. Murray demonstrates that a preoccupation with freedom is the fire behind almost every page and paragraph she writes, and as a result freedom becomes her veritable obsession. He explores the liberating character of Catherines teaching, with particular attention given to her understanding of fear as one of greatest enemies of freedom. Murray highlights the importance of self-knowledge in the journey from bondage of freedom, and employs the rubric of the Dominican motto, To Praise, to Bless, to Preach; as a benchmark to examine the remarkable freedom of Catherines life and thought.