Feast of St Clare of Assisi

Fr Paul reads Matthew’s Gospel (18:1-5, 10, 12-14) in which Jesus tells the disciples ‘unless you become like little children you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven’ and then remembers the life of St Clare of Assisi.

Clare was born in Assisi and, as such, she was influenced in her life by St Francis of Assisi.

Clare left home when she was 18 and under St Francis’ guidance, she began a community that came to be known as the Order of the Poor Clares.  This order had a radical attachment to poverty, which it was much more severe than any other order of nuns at the time.

In her life, Clare was noted as a contemplative and she was also known for being a caring mother to her nuns.  She died at Assisi in 1253.

To conclude our reflection, Fr Paul reads a quote from the third letter of St Clare of Assisi:

“Place your mind in the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the splendour of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!
And through contemplation transform your entire being into the image
of the Divine One himself so that you yourself may also experience
what his friends experience when they taste the hidden sweetness
that God alone has kept from the beginning for those who love him.”

Today we celebrate the memorial and life of St Clare of Assisi.