Prayer can be as simple and as silent as a loving couple holding hands and sitting in silent admiration before a sunset. It’s an experience—a relationship—and not an exercise in thinking. There is no need for words or thoughts. The couple is content simply to rest quietly and lovingly in each other’s presence. Evaluating our prayer experiences, I know, is tricky. Prayer cannot be judged on the basis of “highs” or “feel-good” experiences. All I can say is that, for me, my experience on Clare’s feast day was truly one of those lights that God gives each of us on our personal journeys. To this day, I consider it a special gift from Clare.
Loving God, Clare, the noble lady of Assisi,
left behind all that she knew
to follow Christ as a poor lady.
Her choice is a reminder that
sometimes faith requires us to step away
from the comfort of our lives
so that we can minister to those in need.
Teach us to imitate Clare’s total commitment to you.
Amen
—from Franciscan Spirit’s “Honoring St. Clare of Assisi“
by Jack Wintz, OFM
