Pictured here is Servant of God, Dorothy Day, holding her prison dress. Dorothy had been arrested, along with 40 other women, for picketing at the White House on behalf of women's suffrage. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail, she served 15 days before being released, 10 of them on a hunger strike.
When I see this picture of her I think of her quote, “Don’t call me a Saint. I don’t want to be dismissed that easily”
Dorothy didn’t want to be called a Saint, not because Sainthood offended her, but because calling her a Saint was often used to insinuate that her path was simply predestined instead of something she sacrificed continuously for. It implied that holiness came easily, instead of something she consciously chose each day.
Sainthood is not easy. (If you’re looking for easy I would not recommend Catholicism.)
Sisters, some days that stride towards sainthood is going to wreck you. Some days it will hurt brutally. But there will be goodness and fruit in that suffering. Jesus did not suffer so that our life would be free from suffering. He did not bear the cross so that we could escape ours. He bore the cross so that when it came time to carry ours, we could endure it.
Dorothy Day and her example have left a deep imprint on my heart. I created the Dorothy Day tee to help spread the word about the bold and virtuous life she lived.
