"Be conscious, people of the wondrous
state
in which the Lord God has placed
you."
St.
Francis
O
admirable heights and sublime lowliness!
O sublime humility!
O humble
sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe,
God and the Son of God,
so humbles
himself
that for our salvation
He hides himself under the little form of
Bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God
and pour out your hearts
before him!
Humble yourselves, as well,
that you may be exalted by
him.
St. Francis of
Assisi
Thursday August 11 is the feast day of Clare of
Assisi. In 1212, at the first gathering of the Franciscan order, St.
Francis preached a sermon that brought about the conversion of a young,
beautiful, and wealthy woman named Clare. Clare sought out Francis
begged to become a member of his order. Francis, unsure of what to do with
a female follower, placed her in a nearby Benedictine convent. Eventually
she and other women came to a small dwelling next to St. Damian under Francis'
leadership. Clare became the Mother Superior of the "Poor Ladies of St.
Damian." The women embraced Francis' rule of absolute poverty.
At first the order followed the Rule of St. Benedict, but when Clare
was nearing the end of her life, after 40 years as mother Superior, her Rule for
an independent order was approved by the Pope. After her death, the order
was known as the Poor Clares.
On her deathbed, she exhorted those at
her bedside to love "holy poverty" and to share their possessions. She was
heard to say: "Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go
forth without fear, for he that created you has sanctified you, has always
protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be God, for having created
me."
(From "Lesser Feasts & Fasts)
The Collect for Clare of Assisi:
O
God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich:
Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the
devotion of your servant Clare, may serve you with singleness of heart, and
attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen
Blessed and Broken
Last week, I was touched by a correspondence I
received from my friend Maria Hoecker. You have prayed for her husband
Rick, who died of colon cancer last week. Maria sent an amazing letter
about Rick's last days, and the grace that surrounded them at Centennial
Hospital in Nashville. After I read it, I sent it on to some other friends
in seminary - and found myself writing, "How can I feel so blessed and so broken
at the same time?"
I realized as I wrote that sentence that I gave
myself the answer. Blessed and broken - two of the actions within the
Eucharist, as we take the bread, bless it, break it, and share it with others.
Even in the death of a friend, I was reminded of the Eucharistic element
in so much of who we are and what we do in our daily attempts to follow the
teachings of Christ. God works to bless us, and, yes, to break us as
bread for the world, and then gives us opportunities to share what we have
- what we have been given - with others.
"On the night he
was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and
when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and
said, "Take, eat: this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the
remembrance of me." As we revisit the Paschal Mystery each week, we do so
to remember Christ's sacrifice for us - his own life taken, blessed by God,
broken on the cross, and given in redemption of our sins.
May we
have the grace to be the Body of Christ each
day.
Happy, indeed, is she to whom it is given to share this sacred
banquet,
to cling with all her heart to
Him
Whose beauty all the heavenly hosts admire
unceasingly,
Whose love inflames our love,
Whose contemplation is our refreshment,
Whose graciousness is our joy,
Whose gentleness fills us to overflowing,
Whose remembrance brings a gentle light,
Whose fragrance will revive the dead,
Whose glorious vision will be the happiness
of all the citizens of
the heavenly
Jerusalem
St. Clare of Assisi
Debra's Midweek Meditation
The Word is Near You
But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips
and in your heartš (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you
confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with
the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
Romans 10:9-10
The bleeding heart is an early performer in my spring garden. The
delicate sprays of pink and white move gently in spring breezes and yet are
quite hardy.
In other words, something which looks so vulnerable has a
strength unsuspected.
We, too, have unexpected strengths.
The life of faith brings these
surprises into action and we find that we are doing what we thought we could not
do.
It is the breeze of the Spirit that moves us gently toward
faithfulness.
It opens our hearts and our
ears.
We can begin to hear the Word and to proclaim it--
A new strength is
born within us!
Paul tells us that belief comes through hearing--
Evangelism comes
through speaking.
It is not a coincidence that this reading comes the day after the Feast
of the Transfiguration (August 6). Christ on the mountain is a reassurance
of our faith.
Through the Gospel witness we see what Christ is and is
becoming.
Our hearts are open to new journeys in our own spirits, guided by the
vision of Transfiguration.
"The Word, is indeed, very near us."
Blessings, Debra
Place your mind before the mirror of
eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory
Place your heart in
the figure of the divine substance!
And transform your whole being
into the image of the Godhead itself through
contemplation!
So that you too may feel what His friends
feel
as they taste the bidden sweetness
which God
himself has reserved
from the beginning
for those who love
Him.
St. Clare of Assisi
Daily
Morning Prayer
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html
If the link doesn't open, highlight it, click copy, and then paste it
into your web server address line.
This Week at St. James
Saturday: Farewell Party for Nathan+ and
Anne, 6 pm. If you need a
map
to
the Meittinis' home, come by the office and pick one up
Sunday:
Nathan's last Sunday. HE at 8:00 and 10:15 in the Susan
Tucker
Moore
Room
Monday:
Newsletter
deadline
Tuesday:
Stewardship meets at 7:15
Prayers
Etc.
Those in need of healing and their
families:
Chloe Sarah J.
Vallie L.
Anna B. Lelia G.
Jeffrey Natalie K.
Matty
Henry H. Joel B.
Susan L.
Phil O. Aris
Dave
Nancy B.
Earl C. David W.
Rosemary Paul & Fritz
Uncle Bob O.
JB., Heather, Chase and Sandy
All
wounded soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in our military
hospitals.
In Closing:
What you hold, may you always hold.
What you do,
may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step, and
unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir
up no dust,
go forward,
securely, joyfully,
and swiftly,
on the path of prudent happiness,
believing nothing, agreeing with nothing which
would
dissuade you
from this resolution
or which would place a
stumbling block for you on the way,
so that you may offer your vows to
the Most High
in the pursuit of perfection
to which the Spirit
of the Lord has called
you.
St. Clare of Assisi
In the Franciscan Tradition...
Pax et Bonum.,
Loree+
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