Abstract
Unlike many saints who saw human relationships as distractions from spiritual life, Elizabeth Seton serves as a model for pursuing and sustaining intimate relationships of all kinds. Her life shows us that “the capacity for loving intimacy, with both other people and with God, is in itself a spiritual path.” For her, relationships with family and friends were intertwined with her relationship with God. Catholicism’s belief in the Real Presence was particularly attractive to her. As she lost various human presences in her life, she found the divine presence, the basis of her faith, and she always sought to be closer to it. At the same time, she “deepened her capacity for human affection as she plunged deeper into intimacy with God.” Each led her to a greater understanding of the other. Particular attention is paid to the maternal aspect of love that she demonstrated toward all those she cared for.
Recommended Citation
Wright, Wendy M.
(1997)
"Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton and the Art of Embodied Presence,"
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 18:
Iss.
2, Article 9.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol18/iss2/9