The
four extant letters of St. Clare to St. Agnes of Prague are among the
literary treasures of the Franciscan family. Even their opening greetings
provide a wealth of information about the writer and the receiver: the
warmth of their friendship, their unity of ideal and purpose, and their love
for Christ, the Lord and Spouse of their souls.
So
when Clare wishes Agnes the joys of
redemption in the Author of salvation and every good thing that can be
desired, one
senses immediately that this is not a mere medieval formality, but a deep,
heartfelt desire of a spiritual Mother for her spiritual daughter. It is
natural to want joy and good for someone we love. But what does St. Clare
mean when she declares to Agnes that the joys and the goods she desires for
her can be obtained only in Jesus, the
Author of salvation?
The
very title, the Author of salvation (Auctore
salutis, in
Latin), reveals
the Seraphic Mother’s great familiarity with Sacred Scripture and the
liturgy of the Church. The phrase appears in the Letter to the
Hebrews 2:10 and also, with some variations, in several of the Church’s
prayers for Lent and Paschaltide. Each of these references points to the
primacy and the priesthood of Christ as well as to the fruit of His
redemptive work which is the salvation of the human race.
The
etymology of the word auctor leads
us further. The original Greek expression is sometimes translated as pioneer and refers
to a forerunner, to
someone who leads the way that others may follow. In beholding Jesus,
the Author of salvation, St. Clare saw Him
who had “gone the way” before her. Moreover, she discovered that Jesus
Himself had become “the Way.” Through His poverty and His Passion, Christ
was leading Clare and her followers to the fullness of the
joys of redemption, the
greatest of all the
good things that can be desired.
The
Latin etymology of the word author opens
up another vista for contemplation. In Latin, an auctor
is one who
gives increase. It
can be an ancestor, the founder of a family, a leader, a causer or doer, an
originator, the source or beginning. To behold Jesus as the
Author of salvation in this light
heightened St. Clare’s appreciation of Him as the One who, literally, gave
her religious family a good beginning and
to Whom she turned with the confident petition that He would likewise give
them increase and final perseverance.
In
modern English, “author” immediately connects with “writer.” This too sheds
light on Clare’s beholding Jesus as the Author
of salvation. The mysteries of Christ’s
life were for Clare like chapters in the divine book of salvation. His
Cross was the chapter on virtue, where Clare could plumb the depths of His
poverty, humility and charity. His Resurrection was the chapter on glory in
which Clare contemplated Christ’s
ineffable delights, eternal riches and honor and
yearned for the joys of redemption in the
great desire and love of her heart.
The
celebration of the Paschal Triduum offers the faithful an opportunity to
join St. Clare in “reading” the sacred mysteries of life, love and grace
written by Jesus, the Author of salvation, in
His suffering, death and Resurrection. May we find in them the lasting joys
of redemption and every good thing which can be desired, so
that the Church’s Eastertide prayer may be fulfilled:
O God, You who
have restored us to life
through the Resurrection of Christ,
raise us up to the Author of our salvation
so that, when our Savior comes in His majesty,
You may clothe with blessed immortality
those whom You caused to be reborn in Baptism.
