ST. CLARE'S FEAST DAY - 2

THE FEAST OF ST. CLARE-11th AUGUST Dear Rev. Sisters, teachers and my friends, Today the whole church rejoices and universally Venerates and celebrates the feast of our Mother St. Clare. She is the Patroness of our sisters. So, we are here to wish them a very happy feast. It is good to know something more about our St. Clare In the year 1193, Clare was born. She was the third of five children born to a well to do family of Assisi. Her pious mother, frequently used to visit a nearby church, as the time of her child's birth drew near. As a response to her prayer, a miraculous voice told her, "O Lady, do not be afraid, for you will joyfully bring forth a clear light, that will illumine the whole world." Thus they named the child Clare, which mean the clear or the bright one. The spirit of the Lord worked in her, from the very childhood and formed her into a most pure and beautiful vessel. She was praised and admired by her neighbors and town people, because of her outstanding virtues such as docility to her parents, generosity and compassion for the poor, dedication to daily prayers and pious activities. As she was growing as a very beautiful young woman, many desired to marry her. But, Clare, had in mind, the preservation of her virginity, to embrace the life of poverty to her only beloved, Jesus Christ. Her attention was directed to the things of God and thus on Palm Sunday, March 18 1212, she renounced the pleasures of this world, in order to imitate the sufferings of Christ. On that significant Palm Sunday, Clare followed the advice of Francis, accepted the Palm branch from the Bishop of Assisi and went secretly to our Lady of Angels, The Portiumcula, where Francis and his brothers received her commitment to follow them, in the pursuit of Gospel life. They escorted her to the Benedictine Monastery and from there to San Damiano. People praised her and her sisters for their stead fast practice of charity, humility, virginity, chastity, abstinence, silence, patience, life of the enclosure, their life of contemplation, intense relationship with God and their profound faith and unquenchable desire to grow spiritually. Clare consciously wanted to teach her sisters that, prayer is simply a matter of falling in love with Jesus keeping the Trinitarian foundation and vision. Her sole aim was to imitate Christ in all of her life and it was her genuine reflection of Franciscan spirituality. In the following of Christ she lived the life of holy simplicity, blessed poverty and holy humility. She gazed upon that mirror and looked at herself, in that mirror, Jesus Christ. She focused her contemplation on the two principles, moments of the Lord's renunciation and humiliation, His birth in a manger and His death on the cross. So, Pope Alexander IV, called her, "The New Woman", she referred herself as the handmaid of the Lord, unworthy servant of Jesus Christ, Little plant of St. Francis and sister-mother and servant in her relationship with her sisters. The life of Blessed Clare was full of miracles. The miracle of oil, healing the sisters by making the sign of the cross over them by her hand, victory over Saracens by carrying Blessed Sacrament in her hand, participating on Christmas Eve, the whole Eucharistic celebration from a far distant church from her sick bed and receiving the Blessed Sacrament on that night. So the saint of the Eucharist is also known as the Patron of T.V. and every fibre of her heart was kindled into the love for the sacrament of Christ's body. Blessed Clare walked in this world, but her soul in heaven. She is the New Woman for us all, to follow, especially of her humility, chastity, poverty, gentleness, patience and peacefulness. She was tender and mild, in words and actions, loving and kind to all. Today, let all the company of the faithful rejoice, because the Lord and King of heaven has chosen their sister and companion for His bride and has taken her into His wonderful temple and surrendered her with so great glory and in heaven too the company of the saints is rejoicing for the marriage feast of the King's bride. While we are celebrating the feast of St. Clare the saint of the Eucharist, we shall pray for the whole world and in a special manner for the Clarian family and for our beloved institute, that we all with one heart and soul work together for establishment of God's kingdom. Now let us pray for our sisters and for our school community that St. Clare from heaven blesses our sisters and all of us in a very special way today. Thank you.