Burnt Siena

"Burnt Sienna" was introduced as a color in Crayola's standard crayons in 1949. Whoever made that call had surely visited Siena, Italy. (They added an extra n). The color is everywhere, especially in il Campo - the huge piazza where thousands of people gather on August 16 each year for The Palio - a horse race that has been held every year since 1310. We traveled to Siena on Wednesday by train and strolled through the city, stopping in shops, and visiting churches.
I had read about Saint Catherine of Siena in "Sprezzatura" - a book about the fifty most significant contributions Italians have made to the world. (This book was given to me by my friend, Joel Reed, and I have really enjoyed it!) Catherine was quite a forceful young lady who wrote letters to the Pope and was influential in getting the papacy moved back to Rome from France. So, before we left Siena I made sure we went to see the San Domenico church which is now associated with Saint Catherine. In fact, the church has several items associated with Catherine and a couple of pieces of her - her thumb and her head - under glass. (Other parts are scattered around Italy.) Pretty creepy, but true. However, the items that seemed the most unusual to me were the chains Catherine used to scourge herself.
What was she thinking or feeling as she punished herself? Did the chains draw blood? Did she fear hell and did she feel absolved of deep guilt after her self-flagellation? The whole experience made me so very grateful for the grace of God! I kept thinking - by his stripes we are healed!! Praise God! Oh, and by the way, we also ate a fabulous meal in a restaurant in a cave which was dug out of the soft volcanic soil under Siena around 400 B.C. I am still shaking my head in disbelief!