My mother once said to me, "St. Clare was in love with St. Francis, you know." Well, we can't really know, it was such a long time ago. It's entirely possible! But we do know that they both loved God first.
O woman of light, ablaze with the Sun
of Christ your Beloved, with whom you are one.
The fire of his love burns like gold in your prayer,
The joy of the cross shines like flame in the air.
Unburdened by wealth, untrammeled and free,
The light-footed daughter of high poverty,
You run like the lightning across summer skies;
With Christ in your heart, you shine, holy and wise.
With prodigal hand, you scatter on earth
The fruits of your penance, the coins of your mirth,
Enriching all hearts with the treasure you chose,
To store up in heaven for God to dispose.
O holy Saint Clare, we beg you today
To hold your torch high and shed light on our way
Through gate old and narrow and up the steep road
That led you to dwell in God's promised abode.
( Saint Clare was born in Assisi in 1193. She followed her fellow citizen, Saint Francis, in a life of poverty and became mother and foundress of an order of nuns. She led a life that was austere, yet rich in works of charity and piety. She died in 1253.) from Magnificat, August 2012
Thank you for the post. Today is Monica's feast day as her middle name is Clare. She was born on the 21st between the feasts of St. Monica and St. Clare so that's how we named her. If she would have been a boy, we would have named her Augustine.:)
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