Lesson from Matins - Roman Breviary
The noble virgin Clare was born at Assisi, in Umbria. Following the example of St. Francis, her fellow citizen, she distributed all her goods in alms to the poor, and, fleeing from the noise of the world, she retired to a country church, where Blessed Francis cut off her hair. Her relations attempted to bring her back to the world, but she bravely resisted all their endeavours; and then St. Francis took her to the church of St. Damian. Here, our Lord gave her several companions, so that she founded a convent of consecrated virgins, and her reluctance being overcome by the earnest desire of her holy father, she undertook its government. For forty-two years, she ruled her monastery with wonderful care and prudence, in the fear of God and the full observance of the Rule. Her own life was a lesson and an example to others, showing all how to live rightly.
She subdued her body in order to grow strong in spirit. Her bed was the bare ground, or, at times, a few twigs, and for a pillow she used a piece of hard wood. Her dress consisted of a single tunic and a mantle of poor coarse stuff; and she often wore a rough hair shirt next to her skin. So great was her abstinence that for a long time she took absolutely no bodily nourishment for three days of the week, and on the remaining days restricted herself to such a small quantity of food that the other religious wondered how she was able to live. Before her health gave way, it was her custom to keep two Lent in the year, fasting on bread and water. Moreover, she devoted herself to watching and prayer, and in these exercises, especially, she would spend whole days and nights. She suffered from frequent and long illnesses; but when she was unable to leave her bed in order to work, she would make her sisters raise and prop her up in a sitting position, so that she could work with her hands, and thus not be idle even in sickness. She had a great love of poverty, never deviating from it on account of any necessity. and she firmly refused the possessions offered by Gregory IX for the support of the sisters.
The greatness of her sanctity was manifested by many different miracles. She restored the power of speech to one of the sisters of her monastery, and to another the power of hearing. She healed one of a fever, one of dropsy, one of an ulcer, and many others, consisting of a single tunic and a mantle of poor coarse stuff; and she often wore a rough hair shirt next to her skin. So great was her abstinence that for a long time she took absolutely no bodily nourishment for three days of the week, and on the remaining days restricted herself to such a small quantity of food that the other religious wondered how she was able to live. Before her health gave way, it was her custom to keep two Lent in the year, fasting on bread and water. Moreover, she devoted herself to watching and prayer, and in these exercises, especially, she would spend whole days and nights. She suffered from frequent and long illnesses; but when she was unable to leave her bed in order to work, she would make her sisters raise and prop her up in a sitting position, so that she could work with her hands, and thus not be idle even in sickness. She had a great love of poverty, never deviating from it on account of any necessity, and she firmly refused the possessions offered by Gregory IX for the support of the sisters. The greatness of her sanctity was manifested by many different miracles. She restored the power of speech to one of the sisters of her monastery; to another, the power of hearing. She healed one of a fever, one of dropsy, one of an ulcer, and many others of various maladies. She cured insanity in a brother of the Order of Friars Minor. Once, when all the oil in the monastery was spent, Clare took a vessel and washed it, and it was found filled with oil by the loving kindness of God. She multiplied half a loaf so that it sufficed for fifty sisters. When the Saracens attacked the town of Assisi and attempted to break into Clare's monastery, She, though sick at the time, had herself carried to the gate, and also the vessel which contained the Holy Eucharist, and there she prayed, saying: "O Lord, deliver not unto beasts the souls of them that praise Thee; but preserve Thy handmaids whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood." Whereupon a voice was heard, which said: “I will always preserve you." Some of the Saracens took flight, others who had already scaled the walls were struck blind and fell down headlong. At length, when the virgin Clare came to die, she was visited by a white-robed multitude of blessed virgins, amongst whom was one nobler and more resplendent than the rest. Having received the Holy Eucharist and a plenary indulgence from Innocent IV, she gave up her soul to God on the day before the Ides of August. After her death, she became celebrated by numbers of miracles, and Alexander IV enrolled her among the holy virgins.
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