Christ the Cornerstone

St. Clare of Assisi inspires us to love Christ with all our hearts

[Christ] is the splendor of everlasting glory, the radiance of everlasting light, and a mirror without tarnish. (St. Clare of Assisi)

The publication date for this column is Friday, Aug. 11, the memorial of St. Clare of Assisi, who lived in the 13th century and was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi.

Clare came from a wealthy, aristocratic family, but at the age of 18 she renounced her life of privilege and embraced radical poverty. Other women followed Clare, and they were given the cloister and church of San Damiano in Assisi to live in, but they refused to own it because of their total commitment to poverty.

St. Clare was the author of a rule, which guided her sisters’ daily lives in accordance with the charism of St. Francis. Their lives were to be joy-filled, service-oriented, prayerful and always grateful for God’s abundant gifts. St. Clare had a profound devotion to the holy Eucharist, and at least two eucharistic miracles occurred during her more than 40 years at San Damiano.

On one occasion, a Saracen army threatened to destroy the town of Assisi and its neighboring communities. Clare boldly confronted the Saracens armed only with a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. Seeing that she was a woman blessed by God, the troops went away leaving the area untouched. This miracle and others were cited when Clare was canonized a saint by Pope Alexander IV in 1255—just two years after her death.

During this time of the National Eucharistic Revival as our country prepares to celebrate the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis next summer (July 17-21, 2024), it’s good for us to reflect on the importance of the Eucharist in the lives of the holy women and men we venerate as saints.

Among the thousands of people who are recognized as saints by the Catholic Church, we find great diversity of language, culture, race, social status, age, intellectual ability and more. But there are also many common elements: Love for the holy Eucharist is one; so are deep faith, compassion for the poor, and the willingness to die rather than renounce what they believe.

Saints are people who are close to God, and regardless of whether they have been canonized by the Church or are simply the “next door saints” who live quietly among us, they treasure their relationships with God and neighbor above all else. “To be a saint is not a privilege of a few,” Pope Francis reminds us. “All of us in baptism have the inheritance of being able to become saints. Sanctity is a vocation for everyone.”

St. Clare’s love for Jesus was expressed in letters she wrote to others. It was also shown in her commitment to serve the sisters whom she was responsible for as a religious superior. As Christ washed the feet of his disciples, Clare cooked and cleaned and mended the torn and ragged clothing worn by the members of her community. She was devoted to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but she also encountered him in the people she served, especially the poor and the sick.

As Pope Francis has said: “The saints are men and women who have joy in their hearts and spread it to others. Never hating, but serving the other, is the greatest need. To pray and to live in joy: this is the way of sanctity!”

The way of St. Clare and of her friend St. Francis is never arrogant or self-serving. It is the way of peace and simplicity because it is the way of Jesus who was humble and compassionate, totally dedicated to living for others. All of us are called to find the way that leads us to sanctity, the way that leads ultimately to heaven.

St. Clare changed her life when she recognized the love of God and followed him with all her heart, without conditions or hypocrisy. She spent her entire life in the service of others, enduring suffering and adversity without hatred and responding to evil with good, while spreading joy and peace to everyone she met. Saints like Clare of Assisi change the world for the better, transforming it permanently by the power of God’s love, which they reflect in their lives of integrity and generosity.

As we continue our National Eucharistic Revival, let’s look to women of courage and devotion like St. Clare of Assisi and her followers to inspire us to love Christ with all our hearts.

May we never fail to recognize our Lord—body and blood, soul and divinity—in the great gift-of-himself which he has given us in the holy Eucharist to transform our hearts and redeem the world. †