Feast Day for St. Clare of Assisi

Clare’s transition from noblewoman to cloistered nun lights a way to the life of simplicity that fed her spiritually. In her words, she desired “the privilege of not being obliged to receive privileges, the right to live without rights, the guarantee of living without guarantees.” The Divine Intimacy was more than enough to live on. Richard Rohr celebrates Clare in Eager to Love,” acknowledging her contribution to the Franciscan way: “I do suspect that the Poor Clares’ overwhelming emphasis on poverty and letting go gave them a head start in understanding prayer as a surrendering, more than an accomplishment, an acquisition, or a performance that pleased God. They were already experts in self-emptying (kenosis) and letting go. In other words, poverty is first of all for the sake of prayer, and not totally an end in itself.” Clare’s life of prayer continues to inspire contemplatives seeking to love God wholeheartedly.