Memorial of St. Clare Homily

1st Reading: Hab 1:12-2:4

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 9:8-13

Gospel: Mt 17:14-20

People say that miracles no longer exist. I believe that the problem that we face is not that of a lack of miracles, but that of a lack of faith. To think of all the miracles that could take place only if there was a little bit of faith. We have been given the gifts of the seven sacraments that come into our lives to bring an increase of faith. We have the opportunity to confess our sins and be forgiven. A little bit of faith inside of this sacrament could reform our lives greatly. At this Mass we come to be nourished by Christ and His Blood. A little bit of faith in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar could assist us greatly along our journey of faith.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Clare who was a woman of great faith. She especially placed her faith in the Eucharist and allowed it to work miracles within her own life. She is often depicted holding a monstrance because of her faith that was placed in the Blessed Sacrament. It is said that the army of Fredrick II set out to overtake the city of Assisi. Saint Clare instructed her sisters to bring her the Eucharist. They then brought her the monstrance and she held it before her with great faith and was able to overcome the army that was coming to take the city.

Nothing will be impossible for us if we place all of our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot only hand over a little bit to Him, but we must hand over everything. When we withhold anything from the Father we are not being open to letting Him enter totally into our lives. May we allow the Lord to enter into our hearts and souls today and come to bring us an increase of faith. As we spend our days working for this increase we are keeping are eyes open to the Lord for whom we seek. With great faith we are asking Him to enter our lives and to give us assistance along our journey of faith.

Homily on Memorial of St. Clare

It was only a few days ago when I was visiting an elderly woman of this parish. She told me of her desire to attend Mass, but due to her age she was unable to get out and do so. She mentioned how she just figured out that her cable had EWTN and how she could at least watch Mass daily on television. Saint Clare is the patron of television because when she was sick and unable to attend Mass daily she could hear and see the Mass celebrated from the wall of her room. This of course was well before the invention of the television.

Today's Gospel presents us with the message of compassion. Each of us has received so much, but it can be easy to forget that. Our lives should be centered upon Christ so much that we should never forget to treat others with the compassion that they deserve. If our actions tear apart our relation with Christ we need to reform them, so that our outward actions may reflect our spiritual life. Saint Clare had compassion when she began the order that would become known as the Poor Clares. The rule of this order would respect the spiritual life and would help each other to treat all as Christ.

From the Eucharist we receive we are given the strength to have compassion for our neighbor. We cannot receive Christ and not have concern for those who we will encounter. Saint Clare had great devotion to the Eucharist and is often depicted holding a pyx or a monstrance. This comes from an encounter with Frederick II and his army attacking the gates of the convent when she came out holding onto the Eucharist in deep prayer. "deliver not to beasts, O Lord, the souls of those who confess to thee."This caused the armies to flee showing to us today that Christ in the Eucharist gives great strength to our souls. The devil will never be able to prevail against us and we will have the grace needed to not hoard the gifts given to us, but instead be wiling to share them with the world.