THE SWEET FRUIT OF FAITH
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Clare was the noble and lofty tree bringing
forth
Heb 11:13
PART 4
The early sources inform us that St. Clare belonged to a
family in which there were
seven knights, all noble
and powerful.
Thus she was no stranger to what was
characteristic of such a life: chivalry and courage, strategy and
battle.
In responding to her vocation to a Gospel
life of poverty and humility, Clare spurned the violence, profit and
ambition associated with knighthood.
Yet there was much in her family background which equipped her for the more exacting conquest of the kingdom of souls.
Catechism #2725
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Many people think that entering a cloister means leaving behind
life’s struggles and temptations.
Actually, the opposite is true: those who embark
upon the cloistered life engage in these struggles at a deeper and more
universal level.
Spiritual
combat is an element of monastic life which needs to be taught anew and
proposed once more to all Christians today.
It is a secret and interior art, an invisible
struggle in which monks (and nuns)
engage every day against
the temptations, the evil suggestions that the demon tries to place in
their hearts.
Saint
Pope
John Paul II
St. Clare was aware of this aspect of her vocation to prayer and
penance.
She experienced firsthand that
our struggle is not against
flesh and blood but against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Eph. 6:12
When Clare of Assisi said her “yes”
to Christ, she
put
on the breastplate of faith and love
1 Thess. 5:8
and never looked back.
She recognized that
prayer is a battle… against
ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn
man away from prayer, away from union with God.
Catechism #2725
Even when physically attacked by the devil, Clare’s faith in
Christ never wavered.
She knew that she and her followers
had undertaken to win a
heavenly prize and that they needed to
bring to ruin
the subtleties of our
crafty enemy not by human means but
by a special gift of wisdom
from God Himself, (through) humility, faith and the strong arms of poverty.
3rd Letter of St. Clare to St. Agnes of
We believe
with firm certitude that the Lord Jesus has conquered evil and death.
Taking up the shield of
faith
Eph.
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