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A Clear Light of Faith: St. Clare of Assisi

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:00:46 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

August 11th: St. Clare of Assisi

What is more beautiful to gaze upon than Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?

St. Clare, patroness of the televised media, pray for us!

Prayers to St. Clare of Assisi
(Patroness of Television Workers
Patroness of Sore Eyes)

O Glorious St. Clare! God has given you the power of working miracles continually, and the favor of answering the prayers of those who invoke your assistance in misfortune, anxiety, and distress. We beseech you, obtain from Jesus through Mary His Blessed Mother, what we beg of you so fervently and hopefully, (mention your petition) if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and for the good of our souls.?? Amen.

God of Mercy, You inspired?Saint Clare with the love of poverty. By the help
of her prayers, may we follow Christ in poverty of spirit and come
to the joyful vision of your glory in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this
through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Dear St. Clare, inspired by St. Francis, you became a poor nun for the sake of Jesus, and established the “Poor Clares.” We are told how greatly you cherished Christ present in the Sacrament of the Altar. Is the Mass not a kind of television of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross? Help all television workers to broadcast the truth and draw away from falsehood and evil. Amen.

NOVENA TO SAINT CLARE

Dear St. Clare, as a young girl you imitated your mother’s love for the poor of your native Assisi. Inspired by the preaching of St. Francis, who sang enthusiastically of His Lord Jesus and Lady Poverty, you gave your life to Jesus at nineteen years of age, allowing St. Francis to cut off your beautiful hair and invest you with the Franciscan habit. All through your life you offered your great suffering for your Sisters, the Poor Clares, and the conversion of souls. You greatly aided St. Francis with his new order, carrying on his spirit in the Franciscans after his death. Most of all you had a deep love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, which fueled your vocation to love and care for the poor. Please pray for me (mention your request) that I will seek to keep Jesus as my first love, as you did. Help me to grow in love of the Blessed Sacrament, to care for the poor, and to offer my whole life to God. Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of St. Clare. Through her intercession, please hear and answer my prayer, in the name of Jesus Your Son. Amen.

Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.???????? – Saint Clare of Assisi

O wondrous blessed clarity of Clare!
In life she shone to a few;
after death she shines on the whole world!
On earth she was a clear light;
Now in heaven she is a brilliant sun.

O how great the vehemence of the
brilliance of this clarity!
On earth this light was indeed kept
within cloistered walls,
yet shed abroad its shining rays;
It was confined within a convent cell,
yet spread itself through the wide world.

-Pope Innocent IV

St. Clare was born in Assisi on July 16, 1194 and died on August 11, 1253. She is a Founder of the Second Order of St. Francis, the Poor Clares.? Once when her convent was about to be attacked, she displayed the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrace at the convent gates, and prayed before it; the attackers left. thus her patronage of television. She was ever the close friend and spiritual student of St. Francis.

Toward the end of her life, when the was too ill to attend Mass, an image of the service would display on the wall of her cell:;

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Aug 11 – Homily – Fr. Angelo: Feast of St. Clare

apostolate — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:00:38 +0000

Homily #080811 ( 19min) Play – On this feast of St. Clare, celebrated as a Solemnity at our Franciscan Friary, Fr. Angelo Geiger preaches on the Gospel passage “I am the vine and you are the branches” to explain to us how St. Francis and St. Clare and their two orders relate to each other, the importance of poverty and, finally, how Our Lady fits in. And, of course, St Clare is our Patron Saint for AirMaria so it is doubly a time for celebration.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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FiNews #45 – The Poor Clares of the Immaculate

apostolate — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:24:54 +0000

FI News #45 – Introducing the Poor Clares of the Immaculate ( 5min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

FI Friars, Sisters, Tertiaries…and now the 4th branch: the Poor Clares of the Immaculate. This vocations video comes from the newest addition to the FI family in Italy, where upwards of 60 Poor Clare sisters are already living the life of Total Consecration to Mary.

The video includes lovely music and photos, and is narrated by one of our Poor Clare sisters who generously shares part of her vocation story. What an inspiring video, and what a beautiful life! In the words of St. Clare: “His Love will make you happy.”

For more information on vocations to the Poor Clares of the Immaculate, there’s an address you can write to at the end of the video.

Ave Maria!

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Light Through the Centuries: St. Clare of Assisi

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:00:45 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

St. Clare of Assisi: Feast Day is August 11th

Clare was born in Assisi, Italy in about 1194 into a family of knights and nobles. At the age of eighteen, Clare became the first female follower of Saint Francis when she left her home on Palm Sunday night in 1212 in order to be consecrated as the handmaid of Christ. Saint Francis soon took her to San Damiano where she anchored her whole self for over forty years. Because she remained rooted in one place, she liked to call herself the Little Plant of St. Francis. She was shortly joined by her sister who also had to escape from the family home and then in later years yet another sister and her own mother also joined her in religious life.

Saint Clare was the first woman in history to write a Rule. She took her form of life from Saint Francis who wanted to live the Gospel radically. She also chose to live with the privilege of poverty. This desire to live a rule of total poverty was opposed; it was said that it could not be done, especially by women. All the remaining years of her life she fought to have this privilege in her Rule of Life for her sisters. Only days before her death did the Holy Father finally grant this great wish. She placed her security in the providence of the Father of Mercies and trusted He would take care of her and her sisters through the goodness of the faithful. This has been proved true for over 800 years.

Clare also had a deep devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. When the Saracens attacked her monastery, she had herself led to the door with the Blessed Sacrament. She begged Jesus to protect her Sisters whom she was unable to protect. She heard the voice of our Lord promise: “I WILL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU.” The Saracens fled in terror, and peace returned. St. Clare is most often pictured holding a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament.

Clare had a supremely Marian Vocation. In her second letter to Saint Agnes of Prague, she wrote: “Therefore, as the glorious Virgin of virgins carried Christ materially in her Body, you too, by following in her footprints, especially those of poverty and humility, can, without any doubt, always carry Him spiritually in your chaste and virginal body.” As Francis was called to imitate Jesus in a radical and total way, Clare was called to imitate Mary.

St. Clare had the heart of a missionary. Her mission like her heart had a universal scope. Totally surrendered to God, her ‘mission field’ became as wide and far and broad as that of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through the mysterious and radical limiting of her body to the cloister, her heart expanded so that her mission field became co-extensive with that of God Himself. Her apostolic ‘work’ was union with God and through Him her life was given a universal mission. This union was the source of her fruitfulness and apostolate.

Toward the end of her life, when she was too ill to attend Mass, an image of the service would display on the wall of her cell; thus her patronage of television.

The Blessing of Saint Clare

May Almighty God bless you.

May He look upon you with the eyes of His mercy

and give you His peace.

May He pour forth His graces on you abundantly

and in Heaven may He place you among His saints.

Amen.

Saint Clare’s Way to Pray in order to become Prayer

Look upon Him who became contemptible for you,

and follow Him, making yourself contemptible in the world for Him. Amen.

PRAYERS TO ST. CLARE:

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A PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. CLARE:

God of Mercy, You inspired Saint Clare with the love of poverty. By the help
of her prayers, may we follow Christ in poverty of spirit and come
to the joyful vision of your glory in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this
through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

NOVENA TO SAINT CLARE

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Feb 07 – Homily – Fr George: St. Colette, Franciscan Reformer

Griswold Friars — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:08 +0000

Homily #130207 ( 11min) Play – Fr. George recounts the miraculous life of St. Colette – great reformer of the Poor Clare nuns and patron of expectant mothers and those wishing to conceive. Father reminds us of the contemplatives who have given their lives completely behind closed walls, and whose invaluable prayers are like the yeast of society.

Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Colette of Corbie – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: hos 2:16, 17, 21-22
Resp: psa 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
Gsp: luk 10:38-42

Audio (MP3)

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Aug 11 – Homily – Fr Joachim: St. Clare Against Vanities

apostolate — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:06:25 +0000

Homily #130811b ( 10min) Play – Fr. Joachim preaches on St. Clare whose life was dedicated to God in contrast to the prevailing culture of her time that was dedicated to the passing vanities of this world. She joined the new movement of St. Francis by founding the Second Order of St. Francis, the Poor Clares.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Clare of Assisi – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: hos 2:16, 17, 21-22
Resp: psa 45:11-12, 14-16
2nd: 2co 4:6-10, 16-18
Gsp: joh 15:4-10

Audio (MP3)

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Nov 19 – Homily – Fr Joachim: Saintly Sister of St. Clare

apostolate — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:16:48 +0000

Homily #131119b ( 07min) Play – Fr. Joachim on the edifying life of St. Agnes of Assisi the sister of St. Clare foundress of the Poor Clares.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Agnes of Assisi – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Tuesday 33rd Week of Ordinary Time
1st: 2ma 6:18-31
Resp: psa 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-8
Gsp: luk 19:1-10

Audio (MP3)

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Aug 11 – Homily – Fr Maximilian W: Commanded to Bear Fruit

apostolate — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 13:20:03 +0000

Homily #140811n ( 08min) Play – Father Maximilian preaches on the Gospel for St. Clare, emphasizing that we are expected to bear fruit, but we can only bear fruit by the life of grace which comes with being united to Jesus Christ. We can see this in the life of St. Clare, who bore abundant fruit. After giving a short biography of St. Clare, Father asks us again, are we ready to bear fruit, not from us, but from Christ living in us?
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Clare of Assisi – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: hos 2:16, 17, 21-22
Resp: psa 45:11-12, 14-16
2nd: 2co 4:6-10, 16-18
Gsp: joh 15:4-10

Audio (MP3)

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Nov 19 – Homily – Fr Alan: St Agnes, Poor Clare with many Coins

apostolate — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 12:30:58 +0000

Homily #141119b ( 13min) Play – Fr. Alan connects the Gospel parable of the gold coins with the story of St. Agnes’ life who was the sister of St Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares in cooperation with St. Francis. She renounces many worldly coins that her natural family had and joins this great religious family and multiplies many spiritual coins from the coin of grace given to her.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Agnes of Assisi – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Wednesday in the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
1st: rev 4:1-11
Resp: psa 150:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gsp: luk 19:11-28

Audio (MP3)

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Feb 07 – Homily – Fr Elias: St. Colette, Obedient Reformer

apostolate — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 12:22:33 +0000

Homily #150207b ( 11min) Play – Fr. Elias presents the remarkable life of St. Colette who led a reform of the Poor Clares for which she was directly called by God to do even though she was already living as a hermitess and anchoress. She is a great example of obedience to the will of God.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Colette of Corbie – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Saturday 4th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: heb 13:15-17, 20-21
Resp: psa 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Gsp: mar 6:30-34

Audio (MP3)

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