Happy Feast Day!
Today is the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi – our Patron Saint. She was one of the first people to follow Saint. Francis of Assisi. She founded the Poor Clare’s Order where she embraced a rule of poverty, austerity, and seclusion. Once, an invading army threatened the cloister. Saint. Clare went to a window and held up a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. All of the sisters prayed. The soldiers were overcome with fear at the sight and left. This is why in art, she is often shown holding a lamp. This is because her name means “clarity” and she is shining a light of clarity. She is also sometimes shown with lilies which symbolize purity.
Her key message was:-
‘We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God’s compassionate love for others.’
Remember to follow this, especially today on her special feast day.
