Message of Abbot Paul - Friday 11th August 2023

Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 11th August 2023

Today we keep the feast of St Clare of Assisi, close friend and collaborator of St Francis. She loved and admired Francis and very much wanted to follow the friars’ mendicant way of life, but that was impossible for a woman at the time. So, she and her companions had no alternative but to take the only model of religious life available for women in 13th century Italy, that of Benedictine and Cistercian nuns, yet to make a special charism of poverty and to take Franciscan rather than monastic vows. Nevertheless, the life of the Poor Clares was enclosed and highly regulated by men. However, they observed an inner freedom within the confines of the enclosure and prayed earnestly for the mission of their Franciscan brothers. Clare wrote the Rule of Life for her Order, the first such document to have been written by a woman. She died on this day in1253. The Poor Clares have always remained faithful to their vocation, although the austerity of their rule has been somewhat mitigated. In Herefordshire, we have our own community of Poor Clares, at Much Birch, formerly at Lower Bullingham, now augmented by a community from Nottingham, and Belmont monks have celebrated Mass for them and heard their confessions unfailingly since 1880. Let us pray especially for them today.

 There could be no more appropriate Gospel reading for St Clare than the ferial Gospel from Matthew, (Mt 16: 24-28). Jesus is speaking with his disciples and says, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.” 

We ask St Clare to pray for us today and always, that we might be able to fulfil the teaching of Jesus in every aspect of our lives, but most especially to take up our cross every day and follow him, who is the Lord and Guide of his people, Jesus our Saviour.