The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
I understand what Fr. Barron is saying here and it is very well put, but as I was listening St. Paul's words from 1 Cor 2 kept going through my mind. Points of contact, of course, are important and truth often manifests itself in many unexpected places. Yet, I think that Paul from the beginning believed that our greatest concern should not be to be relevant but to keep the focus upon Christ and his Cross. Indeed, it is when Paul began to emphasize this in his preaching that his words had the greatest impact. How powerful are the words of a man who bore on his body the very marks of the Cross - of one who suffered for Christ and the Gospel?
ReplyDeleteBeyond the words, and one might say prior to them, there must be radical conversion and a personal embrace of Christ and the gospel. Mother Teresa's words were as simple and straightforward as they come and I don't remember her quoting anyone but Christ. But her words came from a heart that was pure, filled with love for Christ and for Him in the poorest of the poor. She lived out the gospel and she, in her very being, became that point of contact with others.
I think it is fine to point out when someone has obviously written or painted or played something which is clearly a gift from God, well used..its more about the moment in time when that person did use the gifts and the wisdom of God and how beautiful that is..yet, we must be sensible about it. I think sometimes people hesitate to use the saints for a couple of reasons..because it seems hard to listen to or read about some of their lives..it causes fear for some, worry and some have such a tendency to do so when they do not want to be that way..also, I think Father Barron may also be thinking that many won't think about the Church if we don't allow a little conversation about what or who is going on in the lives of the people we are evangelizing to..coming a little to where they are, as in when Jesus ate with the sinners...well, the point is..we are all sinners.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to speak, yes, of people who are God's children during our own times and there are lyrics and musicians..so forth and so on today that have much to say also that can be used in evangelizing and teaching that Father could use if he enjoys looking into those things and I'll bet he will! :)
I think it is okay for him to touch on these things lightly, but like anything else, we can often get in a habit of doing just only that. I disagree that we are extremely limited as to who we can quote or speak of or follow the example while teaching and evangelizing. I love what David had to say about Mother Teresa...good comment for sure.
Well said Fr. Barron. Your mom is a very smart lady! (I agree w/her.) But you point is well taken. It is hard to reach the young if one does not speak their language - their language being the media and those in the media. We all have virtues and gifts given by God - even Hitler had the gift of public speaking - as to who gave it to him that I am not sure - but one thing for sure he used it to drive a breach in humanity. Fr. Barron has a tough goal; but then bringing the Word of God has always been that - very tough.
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