FRANCISCAN SPIRIT BLOG
Novena to St. Clare of Assisi
Day One: Outside Our Comfort Zone
Is your faith strong enough that you would be willing to walk away from the comforts of your life to live out that faith? For Saint Clare, the answer was easy. At the young age of 18, she walked away from her life of nobility, descended to the hills below Assisi, and joined Saint Francis in living out his mission. Click here to read more.
Day Two: Strength in Suffering
At some point in our lives, we will all experience some form of suffering. Whether it is physical or emotional in nature, it is painful and difficult. Saint Clare was no stranger to suffering. Throughout her life she endured pain and illness and often was bedridden. Click here to read more.
Day Three: Power of Community
It is not often that you hear mention of Saint Clare without also hearing of Saint Francis. That is understandable, seeing as it was Francis who captivated Clare’s wonder as a young girl with his preaching in the town square. He helped lead her to her new and desired life of prayer. Click here to read more.
Day Four: Finding Our Path
For some, the life of Saint Clare may seem rather unappealing, spending her days inside the modest dwelling of Sam Damiano with her sisters in silence, going about the daily tasks of praying, cleaning, gardening, and other chores. But it was the perfect vision of Clare’s quest for simplicity. Click here to read more.
Day Five: Faithful Persistence
This final line of Clare’s prayer, which calls us to go forward as we have been called by God, is perhaps the most important line. Saint Clare was definitely a woman of conviction and strength. From the moment that she left her home she was determined to steadfastly hold on to her desire to serve Christ. Click here to read more.
Day Six: Our Spiritual Reflection
How many times do we look into a mirror to check things such as our clothes and hair? Mirrors are great for checking surface-level things like that. But in her final letter to Agnes of Prague, Clare encouraged Agnes to look deeper than the surface level of the mirror. Click here to read more.
Day Seven: Embrace the Quiet
Our world is very noisy. We are surrounded by distractions that constantly compete for our attention—cell phones, TV, computers, and so many other things. Saint Clare never could have imagined all of the distractions people would face in the future. Click here to read more.
Day Eight: Honoring Our Talents
Being a humble as she was, Saint Clare would probably take issue with the words included below to describe her. But those who knew Clare would probably not. One person who found comfort and counsel in Clare was Saint Francis of Assisi. Click here to read more.
Day Nine: Ripples of Faith
It is a good reminder to us that at the heart of all we do, we must remember to keep our focus on the greater mission of serving Christ in our lives. May we all be such devoted followers of Christ that we are able to touch even just a fraction of those Saint Clare has. Click here to read more.
