A Woman of Great Faith

Usually we think of St. Clare, whose Memorial is observed today, as the female counterpart, or in today's language, "clone" of St. Francis, but inspired as she was by him, she has her own distinct place in the Church's treasury of spirituality.  Her family was very devout, her mother made a long, arduous and even dangerous pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the family was already engaged in service to the poor and to lepers even before Clare met Francis, who was a few years older than she, and who had been "living it up" as a young knight while she was a young girl. She thus came to Francis already versed in the school of "Lady Poverty" though her family was one of means.  Her purity of soul and intention as well as her love of the poor and poverty itself, caught Francis's attention and this common ground found his blessing and support, especially when Clare expressed her desire to "follow him."  Yet, she took a different path, living in a cloistered community, and following a regular regimine of liturgical prayer with her companion nuns.  And, above all, she fought to her deathbed for the privilege of living a true poverty which meant absolutely no ownership of property.  Even in Francis' lifetime, concessions to this ideal had to be made as his Friars Minor grew larger and larger.  To this day, the Poor Clares live by the motto:  Deus Providebit (God will provide).  Their lives are living proof that this much needed attitude actually works.  St. Clare, help us to incorporate this challenging principle into our lives.  Amen.
Bro. Rene