Saints to Know

Reflection: Clare Offreduccio, born to a high-ranking noble family in the quaint Italian town of Assisi, was the eldest of three daughters. Raised in a grand palace in Assisi and a castle on the nearby slope of Mount Subasio, the girls were nurtured in their faith by their devout Catholic parents, especially their mother. From an early age, they led a life of prayer. Read More about St. Clare below…

Mother Clare spent most of her life battling bishops, cardinals, and even popes who wished her order to align more with mainstream Benedictine nuns. Unyielding, she chose to depend on divine providence, trusting completely in her divine Spouse. These struggles intensified after the death of her spiritual father and brother, Saint Francis, in 1226. After many years of battling, Mother Clare wrote a rule for her sisters and received approval of that rule from Pope Innocent IV, mere days before her death in 1256 at the age of fifty-nine. This marked the first time in history that a woman wrote a rule for religious life that was formally approved. Despite her hidden life, Saint Clare’s holiness was widely known, so much so that the pope came to Assisi to celebrate her funeral. She was canonized just two years later.

As we honor Saint Clare and her sisters, we are especially invited to ponder their complete trust in God. It took great faith to abandon her noble life to embrace radical poverty, but she did so, remaining faithful to her calling. Through her, God has brought forth an abundance of good fruit that will only be fully understood in Heaven. Ponder Clare’s poverty, her hidden life of silence and continuous prayer, and her fidelity to God’s call. As you do, let her radicalness inspire you to step out of your own comfort zone and embrace a more trusting life of selfless service to God’s will.

Prayer: Saint Clare, though you came from a wealthy and noble family, God called you into poverty where your true nobility was found. You heard a call to live radically for God, responded, and never turned back. Please pray for me, that I will also respond to God’s calling in my life with radical fidelity. May nothing stand in the way of my willing adherence to the will of God. Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.