Bible
Study: Ezekiel 12, 1 to 12. Matthew 18, 21 to 19, 1.
Just as I noted
yesterday, the lives of the Saints are like torchlights that help us navigate
our ways through the dark corners of life. The saints were not extra-ordinary
over-talented people, celebrities or idols like our movie stars or musicians;
they were ordinary people laden with weaknesses and limitations like we have.
Yet, the small choices they made, the things they stood by and their refusal to
compromise or give in to sin when it seemed plausible make them shine as bright
stars.
We live in
an age where young people no longer believe it is possible to go through life
without being sexually active in one form or another. The problem is not so much
an increase in temptation, easy access to pornography of all sorts, or the
nature of modern fashion which presents the female gender as an object of
gratification, the real problem facing our generation is lack of people’s belief
in themselves that they can live in the world without being of the world.
What keeps
me stuck in immorality is not so much the immorality of others but my own
belief that no matter how hard I try, I cannot rise above the widespread
epidemic. Long before Barack Obama became the President of the United States,
he had a strong belief within himself that he could be the nation’s number one
citizen. His belief in the possibility of a black man becoming President in a
nation where not so long ago a black man was not allowed to sit in the same
position as a white man in a bus, propelled him forward. He did not suddenly
become president, his audacity made him begin from somewhere and kept him going
forward until he finally got there. His faith in the possibility of dream was
clearly conveyed in his campaign statement: “Yes, We Can.”
Unless Christians
today begin to themselves “Yes, We Can” to purity of heart, mind and body, our society
would never be healed of this disease. Once I believe I can free myself from
immorality, I find it so easy to grow from stage to stage towards purity. As
the CMF Bible Diary puts it: “The life of virginity as depicted by St. Clare is
a challenge to modern morality.” As a young
girl, Clare dedicated herself to prayer. On Palm Sunday in 1212, Clare left her
father's home and went to the chapel of the Porziuncula to meet with St. Francis.
While there, Clare's hair was cut off and she was given a plain robe and veil
in exchange for her rich gown.
Clare
joined the convent of the Benedictine nuns of San Paulo, under Francis' orders.
When her father found her and attempted to force her back into his home, she
refused and professed that she would have no other husband than Jesus Christ. Overtime,
other women joined them, wanting to also be brides of Jesus and live with no
money. They became known as the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano." They
all lived a simple life of austerity, seclusion from the world, and poverty,
according to a Rule which Francis gave them as a Second Order. St. Clare and
her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent
most of the time. Their lives consisted of manual labor and prayer. Yet, they
were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time.
In 1224,
an army of rough soldiers from Frederick II came to attack Assisi. Although
very sick, Clare went out to meet them with the Blessed Sacrament on her hands.
She had the Blessed Sacrament placed at the wall where the enemies could see
it. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters. "O Lord,
protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice
seemed to answer: "I will keep them always in My care." In that
moment, a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they
could without harming anyone in Assisi.
St. Clare
became sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she expressed that no
pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once
exclaimed: "They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses
the infinite God be truly called poor?" Clare died at 59-years-old. Her
remains were placed in the chapel of San Giorgio while the church dedicated to
her remains was being built. At Pope Innocent's request, the canonization
process for Clare began immediately, and two years later in 1255, Pope
Alexander IV canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Assisi.
St. Clare
was designated as the patron saint of television in 1958 by Pope Pius XII, because
when St. Clare was very ill, she could not attend mass and was reportedly able
to see and hear it on the wall in her room. She is also the patroness of eye
disease, goldsmiths, and laundry.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to believe in my
ability to live a truly pure life and fill me with the grace to forgive others
sincerely as you forgive my own sins. Amen.
Good morning. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
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