800th Anniversary for the Poor Clares

August 11, 2012 was the closing of the year long celebration of the 800th Anniversary of the Consecration of Saint Clare.  I had the joy of celebrating the feast with the Poor Clare Nuns at their monastery in Par, Enga Province.  All the Sisters are from the Philippines.

In my homily, I reflected a bit on part of a letter that Saint Clare wrote to one of her religious Sisters, Agnes of Prague:  "Look every day in this mirror ... and scrutinize continually in it His Face, so that you will thus be able to adorn yourself completely, within and without ... for shining in this mirror are blessed poverty, holy humility and ineffable charity" (4 L Ag).

For Clare, Jesus Christ Himself was the mirror and Clare, like Francis became clear reflections of Christ to the people of their time.  That radiance continues down to our own day in the inspiring witness of Poor Clares throughout the world.