Abstract
Summary: The article intends to analyse the elements of ascetic-mystical theology which are present in the writings of Catherine of Genoa, based fundamentally upon the axiom, which she recognised and accepted, that the nothingness of the creature is the condition for being able to be filled with, and for allowing oneself to be transformed by, the Everything of God. It is a mysticism permeated by total and gratuitous service of neighbour, since there can never be a true mysticism without active works to accompany it, nor true service of charity which is not rooted in pure Love. This is Christian Love in the concrete, which transforms the soul which places itself at the disposal of such love and which allows itself to be worked upon by that love, making the soul into an incandescent furnace, the prelude to the complete and definitive encounter with God who is Love. Catherine’s theology helps us to understand that we are all called to an ever deeper union with God.
Key words: ascetics, prayer, mysticism, service, pure Love, fraternal charity, purification, transformation.
Parole chiave: ascesi, preghiera, mistica, servizio, Amore puro, carità fraterna, purificazione, trasformazione.