Simple. Prayer is about God and our relationship to God. I Delio
Life can be unpredictable, but one thing is certain, God is with us, within us and surrounds us with infinite love. We move toward God because God has first moved toward us: This is the Franciscan path of prayer.
PRAYER FOR ADVENT WITH SAINT ClaRE
On Sunday 03 December we begin the Advent season, leading us to the birth of Christ. Allow St. Clare, a holy woman to accompany you. She has quite her own journey to Christ. It begins with Clare’s decision to leave behind the comforts of her life, descend to the plains below Assisi, and join St. Francis in living out his mission. For Clare, Christ was her focus and St. Francis was her guide. Her path, though, was her own.
PRAYER
St. Clare, be with us during these days of Advent. Help us to see that the journey to Christ’s birth is the true focus of the season. AMEN
REFLECTION
HOW WILL YOU MAKE CHRIST YOUR FOCUS THIS CHRISTMAS?
“the incomparable treasure hidden in the field of the world and of the human heart” (Clare of Assisi, Third Letter to Agnes of Prague)
A Different Approach – from Ilia Delio, OSF
Francis of Assisi, attained the heights of contemplation through a penetrating vision of creation. With a basic education in reading and writing, Francis came to prayer from a popular and lay experience. He looked on the material world—not for what it is but for how it is: God’s creation.
For Francis and Clare of Assisi their relationship with God was based on faith that God became human in Jesus Christ ~ the incarnation. For them their relationship with God was an intimate one; they wanted to follow Jesus as closely as they could. Prayer in the Franciscan tradition is not about attaining something new, it is discovering what is already in us.
The journey of prayer for Franciscans is the discovery of God at the center of our lives. God exists inherently within the very seed of our identity. Franciscans pray to open up the image of God in which we are created, the God within all of creation and the God who loves us unconditionally.
Life can be unpredictable, but one thing is certain, God is with us, within us and surrounds us with infinite love. We move toward God because God has first moved toward us: This is the Franciscan path of prayer.
