Memorial of Saint
Clare, virgin
(Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14)
St. Clare was very close to St. Francis of Assisi in the
quest to live poorly. Her father tried in
vain to budge her from the austerity of Franciscan life in which she consecrated
herself to God. She also managed to
resist the exhortation of churchmen that her convents own land to support
themselves. This radical stance vis-a-vis
poverty begs the questions, why? Why did
Clare and, for that matter, Francis cling so tenaciously to poverty?
The answer is hinted at in today’s gospel. Jesus urges his disciples not to become like
the rich and powerful. He wants them to
be as humble as children so that they might know the Kingdom of God. Heaven, he teaches, is not for those who
think highly of themselves. Rather it
belongs to those who can forget their own needs in service of others.
Certainly we need things in order to live. However, as Pope Francis teaches in his new
encyclical on the environment, we need less than we think and even need to have
less so that future generations may live at all. Embracing the poverty of Clare and Francis,
we may give others encouragement to conform themselves to Jesus’ prescription
for attaining eternal life.
