Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin
When, therefore, you eat your fill, take care not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the
He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
Our labor here is brief but the reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world, which passes like a shadow. Do not let the false delights of a deceptive world deceive you. Close your ears to the whisperings of hell and bravely oppose its onslaughts. Gladly endure whatever goes against you and do not let good fortune fill you up, for these things destroy faith while these other things demand it. Offer faithfully what you have vowed to God, and God will reward you. Let us pray to God together for each other, for, by sharing each other’s burdens of charity in this way, we shall easily fulfill the law of Christ. Amen.
(From a Letter to Ermentrude of
http://www.usccb.org/nab/081107.shtml
Jesus’ example in life goes so far beyond the literal meaning of his words. Sometimes I wonder if we, as mere mortals can ever hope to emulate it. Today, these readings from Deuteronomy and Matthew give us in their essence, the whole of Christian morality. Paired with the memorial of the life of St. Clare, we can only pray that our meager efforts at following Jesus will yield in our lives a little of the faith so embodied in St. Clare and her close relationship with Jesus.
The relationship which emerges from these two readings seems, upon first examination, to be one in which we – the people – fear God. In turn, God endures us and our weaknesses – not exactly the basis for a solid and productive relationship. Yet as we mediate and study these readings further, a different relationship emerges.
Since the Lord alone is God, we must love Him with an undivided heart. From the Hebrew Bible to the Good News, this is the cornerstone of our faith. God so loved the world that He gave us everything, even His son. In return, can we give him everything back? Such absolute love of God must engage the total person -- soul, mind and heart. As Cursillistas, we hope to follow that through a life filled with piety, study and action.
We “fear” god, because we don’t want to do anything to lose His love – the love of such a generous parent. Jesus puts our responsibility into better perspective by restating this commandment and then going beyond it. Restating it he says: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 Going beyond it, Jesus joins to the greatest and the first commandment a second, that of love of neighbor. As a pair, these are the two pillars of Christian morality.
The faith to deliver and live by these two commandments, on our part, is hard to find. So in the reading from today’s Gospel, we learn that “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
This kind of faith does not come easy but only develops in our lives through prayer and fasting. So, instead of rejecting us, Jesus endures our limitations and continues teaching us and giving us examples to live by. He wants us to grow closer to him, not to fear him. He wants us to turn over everything we have, even our biggest troubles to him. Like the father of the boy in today’s Gospel, nothing can stop us from loving those around us and turning to a loving and generous God for help. Jesus wants us to share the burdens of our love and charity with him.
When Jesus is no longer is with us, the Holy Spirit picks up where he left off and provides other guideposts – guideposts like the life of St. Clare, “the first flower in the garden of the Poor Man of Assisi. Poor in earthly goods, but rich in her utter poverty, she was a replica of Jesus, poor in the crib and on the Cross.”
Clare shows us how our fear evaporates into love, a love which engulfs the impatience of our God-made-man, Jesus.
Action[1]
“He is the splendor of eternal light, a mirror without blemish.”
Look daily into that mirror and see your face in it…In that mirror, poverty, humility and love beyond telling shine radiantly.
Contemplate the beginning therein mirrored – the poverty of him who lay in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. What marvelous humility and astonishing poverty! It is the King of angels, the Lord of heaven and earth, who lies here!
Contemplate next the course of his life, with its humility in the form of blessed poverty, endless toil, and torments to be endured for the redemption of humankind.
Contemplate finally, the boundless love that marks the end of his life, when love made him suffer and die on the Cross. The mirror cries out to us: “All you who pass along the way, look and see if there be any sorrow like mine!”
“What shall our answer be?”
[1] This entire section is from a Letter to Blessed Agnes of
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