MEMORIAL OF SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI
Contemplating Clare's Love for Christ
A pilgrim recently returned from Assisi confused by the various reactions of other pilgrims as they approached the tomb of Saint Clare, which is located in the crypt of the basilica named in her honor.
When one enters the Basilica of Saint Clare and descends to the crypt by a deep granite staircase, one first encounters coolness, then dimmed lighting, then at the end of a long corridor, the bier upon which Clare lies protected behind bars and glass. Clare rests before a tabernacle. A red votive candle flickers and reminds pilgrims that Christ Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. A bouquet of lilies stands at the foot of the bier. A sweet fragrance seems to permeate the glass, a fragrance that reminds pilgrims that they should bend a knee before true holiness.
Some pilgrims barely stop to consider that the figure before them is actually the uncorrupted remains of the Saint Clare, who lived and died and was canonized more than eight centuries ago. Some seem skeptical. Some walk quickly away, seemingly nervous. Some ask in a whisper whether that could possibly be Clare beneath the simple habit and masks that cover her face, hands, and bare feet. Some kneel on the cold stone floor, rest their foreheads against the bars, and pray.
These various reactions should not seem discordant. Since 1850, when Saint Clare's tomb was discovered after six centuries of mystery, pilgrims have been conflicted by the saint's mortal remains. When her tomb was opened, Clare's habit was reduced to dust, but she was not. And for more than a century, pilgrims could visit her tomb and see her dark, seemingly charred, flesh dressed in the habit of the order she founded.
Writers and locals say that some pilgrims, especially children, were horrified by the sight. Some were ambivalent. Some were skeptical. Some were reduced to tears of joy that Clare, the loyal friend and follower of Saint Francis, should remain uncorrupted by death. The times change, but the hearts of human beings do not.
In their book, "A Retreat with Francis & Clare of Assisi", Father Murray Bodo and Susan Saint Sing write that no one should have been surprised to find Clare uncorrupted or to find her flesh darkened like burned wood. They write: "Her consuming, passionate love of God, a burning too hot for mortal flesh, has left her body charred and blackened beneath its waxed and cosmeticized shell (p. 52)."
A Chaste, But Passionate Love
Today's pilgrim will not see charred and blackened flesh, but a life-like reflection of the beautiful and courageous woman who defied her times, followed her friend, and embarked on a way of life strictly devoted to the gospels. Saint Clare saw herself and her sisters as Brides of Christ, consumed by a chaste, but passionate, love for Him, who lived, suffered, died, and rose again for us, for all people, for all the world. In one of Saint Clare's famous letters to Agnes of Prague, we can begin to appreciate her ardent love for Christ Jesus:
Contemplate the unspeakable love
with which He wished to suffer upon the wood of the cross
and on it to die the most infamous of deaths.
So that from the height of the cross,
a voice is directed towards the passers-by
in order that they may stop to consider:
'All of you, who pass by upon this road,
stop and judge if there is sorrow comparable to mine.'
And we will reply to Him who calls and groans,
with one voice and one heart:
'Your memory will never depart from me
and my soul will be consumed.'
Contemplate then his unutterable delights,
his wealth and eternal honors, and shout ardently
with all your love and all your desire:
'Draw me to yourself, O Heavenly Souse!
We will follow you,
drawn by the sweetness of your perfume!'
On this day especially, let us pray together for the intercession of Saint Clare of Assisi and for the intercession of the holy women who followed her through the centuries into the cloister. Let us pray for the grace to follow Christ Jesus as Clare did. Let us pray for the grace to love Christ Jesus as Clare did. Let us pray that we, too, might be consumed by that same burning passion to do his will by loving God and by loving each other in perfect peace and charity. Amen! Amen! May the Lord give you peace!
Saint Clare, pray for us!
Saint Francis, pray for us!
Holy Men & Women of Assisi, pray for us!
