St. Clare was born Chiarra
Offreduccio in Assisi, Italy on July 16, 1194 to a wealthy family. Her father,
Favorino Scifi, was a count and her mother was the countess Ortalana, now a
blessed. Her father died when she was very young. After hearing St. Francis preach
in the streets one day, she confided to him her own desire to live her life for
God. The two became good friends. On Palm Sunday in the year 1212, the local
bishop presented Clare with a palm, which she took as a sign to follow her
vocation. Clare and her cousin, Pacifica, ran away one night to enter the
religious life. She soon accepted the veil of a nun from St. Francis at the
Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi.
Francis place her temporarily
with the Benedictine nuns of San Palos near Bastia, then to
San Angelo in
Panzo, until she was finally sent to San Damiano where she founded the first
community of the Order of Poor Ladies (later the Poor Clares.) She led this
order for forty years. Everywhere the Franciscans established themselves throughout
Europe; there also went the Poor Clares, depending solely on the providence of
God to subsist. This was a new idea at the time. In the beginning, most of the
young girls who joined her in this life of radical poverty were from the noble
families of Assisi and the surrounding area. At first they had no written rule
to follow except for a very short 'formula vitae.' Over the years prelates
tried to draw up a rule for the order largely based on the Rule of St.
Benedict, however, Clare would reject these attempts in favor of the 'privilege
of poverty,’ wishing to own nothing in the world and depending entirely on the
providence of God and the generosity of the people for their livelihood.
Clare became a living example
of the poverty, humility and the mortification expounded by St. Francis. She
had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to increase her love for
Christ crucified, she learned by heart the Office of the Passion composed by
St. Francis. Under her guidance the community of San Damiano became a veritable
nursery of saints. Clare's mother, Ortalana (blessed), and sisters Agnes (St.
Agnes of Assisi) and Beatrix (blessed) later joined the order, as well as her
faithful Aunt Bianca. Clare lived to see monasteries spread across Europe in
her lifetime.
Twice God saved San Damiano
through the intercession of St. Clare. In September 1240, hoards of Saracen
mercenaries attacked the walls of the monastery on their way to the city. Clare
prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and suddenly for no explainable reason the
Saracens retreated. A similar situation occurred when the troops of Vitalis
d'Aversa attacked Assisi in June 1241. Again her profound devotion the
Eucharist brought her before the Blessed Sacrament and again the city was
spared.
Starting in 1224, Clare was
always ill while at San Damiano. One Christmas Eve she was too ill to rise from
her bed to attend mass at the new Basilica of St. Francis and although being
more than a mile away, she saw the mass on the wall of her dormitory. So clear was
the vision that the next day she could name all of the friars who were at the
mass (She has been named patroness of television for this reason.) When Clare felt the day of her death
approaching, she called her religious community around her and reminded them of
the many benefits they had received from God and encouraged them to persevere
faithfully in the observance of evangelical poverty. On August 11, 1253, just
before dawn, Clare passed peacefully away. Her body remains incorrupt. (http://www.stclarehelperofthepoor.com/story%20of%20saint%20clare.htm)
Prayer of St. Clare of Assisi: I come, O Lord, unto Thy sanctuary to see the life and food of my soul. As I hope in Thee, O Lord, inspire me with that confidence which brings me to Thy holy mountain. Permit me, Divine Jesus, to come closer to Thee, that my whole soul may do homage to the greatness of Thy majesty; that my heart, with its tenderest affections, may acknowledge Thine infinite love; that my memory may dwell on the admirable mysteries here renewed every day, and that the sacrifice of my whole being may accompany Thine.
No comments:
Post a Comment