Something that is very difficult for some of us who live in the U.S.A. to comprehend is the choice made by saints to live in abject poverty for the sake of holiness and the desire for God. I’m thinking of this today because it is the feast of St. Clare, disciple of Francis of Assisi and the first woman to write a rule for religious women that was approved by the Roman Catholic Church. Clare lived from 1194 to 1253 and was just 15 years old when she was captivated by the spirit of Francis and 18 when she left home by night to join the band of friars who had given up everything to search for a life totally immersed in God.
Clare’s life was far from the romanticized image of her relationship with Francis. She hardly saw him at all and never left her convent at San Damiano. She and the women who followed her begged their food and lived a spartan life, composed of discipline and self-denial. While it is true that life was very different eight centuries ago in Europe, one still wonders how it would be possible – especially for a young person of an upper-class family – to be so totally captivated and dedicated for the entirety of her earthly life to an ideal of total denial. Clearly, Clare was an intelligent young woman who certainly knew what she was choosing. The proof is in the living out of the ensuing four decades where Clare shone as a beacon to those who would see the light as she did and be consumed by the great love of God.
How might we contextualize such desire and dedication in our own time and culture?
There is so much to read today in the lectionary texts, so many scenarios and complicating emotions! It’s only Sunday and we have the whole Holy Week to deal with, yet the entire drama is placed before us today, perhaps so that we are able to hold it all as the week goes on – even while knowing already both the tragic and the glorious pieces of the outcome.
I was thinking yesterday how easy it is from here in our lovely, peace-filled location in rural Upstate New York to ignore all the turmoil in the world and in our country. If I don’t wish to allow the distress into my consciousness, I can just avoid watching or listening to or reading the news and go about my days in isolation. While I know that is not a valid choice for me, it is occasionally a temptation. I was reminded this morning of my need to be awake and aware by a page from Meg Wheatley’s book, Perseverance, that I will quote below in its entirety as a call to all of us to resist the pull of inertia in favor of responsible engagement in whatever way we are able to contribute to raising the level of light in the world. (This includes a willingness to discriminate between “fake news” and truth.) The page is entitled Non-Denial. It is not a message to be read quickly and dismissed. I would recommend reading it, as I plan to, several times, and seeking examples from our own life of applications for the message.