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The Vocation of the Cloistered Poor Clare Nuns
by the Poor Clare Nuns of Los Altos Hills
A religious vocation is a call, a call made in love by him Who is love. It is never our own idea, but the design of God. His call to the prospective Poor Clare is not only to a vocation as a religious, but a call to "Come apart."
"I will lead her into the wilderness and speak to her heart." (Hosea 2:16)
To put it in the words of a modern day author, "The king has brought me into His rooms. A vocation to the cloister is just as simple and yet as incredible, as exquisite and still as demanding as that." (from The King's Rooms by Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.)
It was precisely in the house of the lord that Francis of Assisi first heard the call of God, "Francis, go rebuild my Church. . ." It was all quite simple as far as Francis was concerned and so he set out, equipped with love as his building material and with the Gospel as his life plan.
"In my love, I would give you liberty confining you only in the Infinite
I would wall you up in the beauty of God,
In the reach and range of God.
I can think of nothing better I could do for you
Than build you a house, out of my love."
(from a poem by Father Charles O'Donnell)
Soon there were others who wanted to follow Francis: men rich and poor, knights and noblemen, farmers and merchants would leave everything and follow God's call manifested in this little poor man.
And then there was Clare. She too wanted to follow Christ in the footsteps of Francis. What would be her part in the rebuilding of God's Church? She was to be the very foundation by her hidden life of prayer and sacrifice, on fire with love for God and His people. But Clare's life was not to be an eremitic [solitary] one even though it was contemplative and cloistered. Around Clare gathered the sisters for whom God alone sufficed.
"Love is not loved!" Francis wept, and Clare from her cloister proclaimed to the world what life was really all about. In the bull giving approbation to her Rule on August 9, 1253, Pope Innocent IV wrote:
"Because you, beloved daughters in Christ, have held the pomps and pleasures of the world of no account and, following the footprints of Christ himself and of his most holy Mother, have chosen to live enclosed in body and to serve the Lord in highest poverty so that with mind unencumbered you may be servants of the Lord, we, approving in the Lord your holy way of life, with fatherly affection do gladly desire to grant benevolent support to your requests and holy desires."
And our present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has written of Clare and her form of life:
"In solitude and silence, the curtain of smoke of words and earthly things fades away, and communion with God becomes a reality: love which is born and which gives of itself."
That "Love may be loved" is the purpose of a Poor Clare's entire life. God has called us to be His own, to be set apart, not because He loves us more than others but because He has asked us to be a sign of the greatness of His love for all people.
Yes, the Poor Clare nun is right in the heart of the world for she is in the heart of Christ and in the heart of His Church. Enclosure walls are not a sign of division but of unity. They are like a chain, linked across the face of the earth, a chain that does not signify exclusion but strength and unity, a unity between heaven and earth.
In the midst of a world seemingly determined to leave God outside, the Poor Clare nun is a reminder that no one can live without Him. Surrounded by a society that often puts "things" first, a Poor Clare owns nothing at all, desiring only the riches of God's love. Jesus allowed Himself to be bound in the very small space of the Cross so that His love could triumph over death. The crown of thorns a Poor Clare receives at her solemn profession symbolizes our bridal union with a Crucified Spouse and our desire to give our lives, in union with His, for the salvation of the world.
A sad life? Not by any means! Enclosure liberates us for the joy that comes from God alone. Can you imagine a greater joy than being spouses of Jesus? All that a Poor Clare does, even the most commonplace task, becomes a prayer. Every sacrifice unites her more closely to her Spouse. Small hearts are expanded to hold all the world.
Really, it is a very ordinary life made extraordinary by love. What does a Poor Clare do? Prayer is her main work to which all else must be subservient. But she is also to be united with the other poor by working at manual labor in such tasks which contribute to the life of prayer and sacrifice. Our holy founders called work a grace and our life is definitely grace-filled! There are no part-time employees of love.
The Church has always understood and safeguarded the vocation to the cloister, and has encircled monastic life with a special enclosure. The reason is clear; this form of life is of great importance for the Church. She considers it such a precious good that she shows her appreciation by protecting it in a special way. The Church and the world has need for contemplative, enclosed life.
Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has said,
"You are very necessary for the Church. You are the prophets and living teachers of all: you are the front line of the Church moving to the Kingdom."
We are to be that prophetic voice in the Church which proclaims with our Father Saint Francis, "Love is not loved," but He is worthy of all love and we gladly give our lives to that great proclamation as did our Mother Saint Clare who wrote,
"Love Him in complete surrender Who gave Himself up entirely for you."
Finding no place to alight in the world, the Poor Clare nun has flown back to the Ark, the Tabernacle of her Lord. And there, at last, she has found her home.
More about the Poor Clare Nuns
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