I SAW THE PROOF!

Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin
Mt 19:27-29

I received the special grace of venerating St. Clare of Assisi during my latest pilgrimage to Assisi. I still remember vividly how I stood dumbfounded before the incorruptible body of St. Clare, knelt in deep prayer, and went around viewing the exhibit of a number of her personal effects, including her beautiful locks, and correspondences. I recalled how suddenly the saint became even more real to me.

Born in 1193, Clare came from Assisi. She belonged to a wealthy family but left everything in exchange for life of poverty and penance. She became a friend and disciple of her fellow citizen, Francis. She had a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist and is said to have saved her city from invading barbarians by raising the Blessed Sacrament over them. Thus, her statue clad in a nun’s habit with the Blessed Sacrament. She founded a religious order for women that followed strict monastic rules, particularly those pertaining to penance and poverty. After a holy and austere life, she passed away in 1253.

Saints are real. Clare of Assisi is real. Sainthood is real for you and for me. Living the life that Clare lived, marked with self-embraced poverty and penance, may sound rather impossible. But it is real and possible. Clare’s life testifies to this reality but God’s grace provides the possibility. I saw the proof with my own eyes.