“Look upon Him Who became contemptible for you, and follow
Him, making yourself contemptible in the world for Him. Your spouse, though more beautiful than the
children of men (Ps 44:3), became, for your salvation, the lowest of men,
despised, struck, scourged untold times throughout His whole body, and then
died amid the sufferings of the Cross. O
most noble Queen, gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire
to imitate Him.” (St. Clare of Assisi, The Second Letter to Blessed Agnes of Prague)
Sometime ago I attended a workshop, presented by Sherry A.
Weddell, author of the book “Forming Intentional Disciples, The Path to Knowing
and Following Jesus.” In her
presentation, she shared the story of interviewing a Catholic woman, who was
very active in her parish, and was asked to describe her lived relationship
with God. The woman responded by saying
that she did not have a relationship with God.
This shocking response from someone who was doing the works of charity,
who was an important contributor to the life of her parish, shocked Ms.
Weddell. And it shocked me when I heard
it, and saddens me. It makes me wonder
many others are in a similar situation with their faith life.
When people look at Franciscans, they see friars and sisters
actively serving the poor, the outcasts; comforting the sorrowful, the
grieving. And sometimes, this active
face of Franciscanism is all people see.
However, it is when the Feast day for St. Clare of Assisi comes around, that we are made aware
of another aspect of the Franciscan way of life. And that is, like Francis and Clare, we are
called to enter into an intimate relationship with the God who loves us. Through a life of prayer, and contemplation,
we become more aware of the Presence of the Lord, within us, within all those
we meet, within all of God’s Creation.
Clare and her Poor Ladies served, and continues to serve as
a reminder to the rest of the Franciscan Family, that without a personal
relationship with our Triune God, our good works will eventually dry up, unless
we remain connected to the source of all Love, through Jesus Christ.
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