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George G Pisula
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St. Clare of Assisi
Francis and Clare came from different classes of society. While Francis came from the rising mercantile class, the hope of his father as a follower of his trade, Clare was born into nobility, the crown jewel of what may have been the wealthiest and the most prestigious family in Assisi. Her mother named her Clare, meaning the clear one, because she had had a vision before Clare's birth that her daughter would be a clear light for the world. It was not only the example of Francis that aroused in the Lady Clare the desire to imitate him, but also his words which were so filled with love for God. Clare was received at the altar of the Church of the Portiuncula (Little Portion), the same place where Francis and his brothers had their beginning. The Lady Clare was divested of her earthly gems and jewels, in order to be adorned with the precious ornaments that endure unto Eternity: Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. Clare's life unfolded at San Damiano, the place where Francis himself had received the mandate from Christ on the Cross, to rebuild his crumbling church. The time was one of warring factions in thirteenth century Italy. The area around Assisi was under attack by Saracens, mercenary soldiers who threatened the security of the sisters at San Damiano. These Saracens climbed over the walls of the monastery and invaded the cloister. Clare was quite ill at the time and was confined to bed. She got up, went to the door of the refectory, and, preceded by a small container, a pix, with the Blessed Sacrament of the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ reserved in it, prostrated herself before the Eucharist and prayed to Our Lord for the safety of her sisters: "Lord, look upon these servants of yours, because I cannot protect them." Immediately upon completion of her prayer, the enemy retreated and the voice of a Child answered from the Sacred Host: "I will always watch over you." Clare had great devotion to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. During her times there was an attitude of personal unworthiness and sinfulness, which discouraged people from frequent reception of the Eucharist. Contrary to this practice, Clare encouraged her sisters to receive Eucharist frequently. She approached the sacrament in trembling and upon receiving the Body of Our Lord shed tears. She reverenced Him who was hiding in the sacrament no less than Him Who was ruling heaven and earth. For Clare and her sisters, the Eucharist was not only an act of worship, the Eucharist was an act of service. Clare and her sisters engaged in a manual labor of love. Their ministry of spinning, weaving and sewing linens used in service at the celebration of the Eucharist linked them with Francis' mission of promoting respect and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. Just as we are dismissed at the end of Mass, "Go forth and serve the Lord and one another", the Eucharist for Clare was an expression of worship, service, and humility.
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Eucharistic Adoration 
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