The ultimate end of our lives, as proposed by Jesus Himself, appeals to every human heart. Kateri was humble in her requests to be admitted to the sacraments of initiation, but from the time the seeds of faith had been planted in her heart by her mother, a deep longing for God was begun that drove her – despite her shyness – to ask to receive them. The faith was never imposed on Kateri – she was not forced to abandon her Native American beliefs. The message of faith brought her heart to an intimate relationship not with a great spirit, but with the man-God. Kateri tasted this Love in such a radical way, that the sufferings she could endure liberated her spirit to cling only to that Love. Her love for mortification brought her to an early death, but her love for Jesus brought her a fullness of life even before she died.
Fr. Francis Therese Krautter csj