Saint of the Day for 11 August | Their story, miracles, and faith

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path

Saint of the Day for 11 August

Saint of the Day for 11 August | Their story, miracles, and faith

Saint of the Day 11 August: Celebrating the Lives of the Church’s Saints

 

Every day, the Catholic Church honors a saint or blessed who stood out for their faith, dedication, and love for God. The Saint of the Day is an opportunity for the faithful to learn more about the history of the Church and be inspired by the witness of these men and women who lived according to Christ’s teachings.

 

The Meaning of the Saint of the Day

 

The celebration of the Saint of the Day is a Church tradition that helps us remember those who were examples of faith and holiness. Saints may have been martyrs who gave their lives defending their faith, missionaries who spread the Gospel, or ordinary people who lived in deep communion with God through simplicity.

Learning about each saint’s story inspires us to live with more love, patience, and hope. It also reminds us that we are all called to holiness.

 

Why Do We Celebrate the Saints?

 

Saints serve as models of Christian life. Their stories show us that, despite challenges, it is possible to live according to God’s will. Moreover, the faithful often seek the intercession of saints, believing that they are close to God and can pray for our needs.

Following the Saint of the Day is a way to strengthen our spiritual journey and learn from those who dedicated their lives to serving God. May we follow their examples and strive each day to live with greater love, faith, and hope!

 

🙏 May today’s Saint of the Day intercede for us and inspire us to live according to God’s will!

St. Clare of Assisis, Virgin, Foundress of the Poor Ladies

Poor​ ​by​ ​choice:​ ​in​ ​the​ ​footsteps​ ​of​ ​St.​ ​Francis

Palm Sunday, 1211. The silence of the night in the countryside of Assisi is broken by the 18 year-old Clare’s swift gait. She has decided to rebel against her wealthy - and much beloved - family, in pursuit of the desire for true freedom that God has put in her: She wants to be poor. Her escape from all security is the end of a journey begun seven years ago, when she witnessed a shocking incident: a wealthy young man stripped naked, returned his rich and elegant clothing to his father, and embraced Lady Poverty. He was Francis of Assisi. He is waiting for her that night at the Porziuncola: She cuts her hair, dons a tunic of coarse wool, and finds shelter in the Benedictine monastery of Saint Paul at Bastia Umbra. In vain, will her father attempt to convince her to return home..

"Poor​ ​Clares"

The divine light that shines through Clare draws many other women to her, including her mother and sisters: soon they will be fifty. Francis calls them “Poor Ladies” or “Poor Sisters” and makes the little monastery of San Damiano available to them, which he had just restored and where he, as a young man, received the invitation, “Go and repair my house.” There is perfect communion between St. Francis and St. Clare there is full communion, and she defines herself “his seedling”. With her sisters, Clare accompanies the mission of the friars in the world with unceasing prayer.

First​ ​woman​ ​to​ ​write​ ​a​ ​Rule

Strong and determined, Clare is the first woman to write a Rule and obtain approval for it - from Gregory IX - which was permanently enshrined by Innocent IV in his Bull of 1253, giving stable right to the “privilege of poverty” and to her longing desire to “observe the Gospel”.

Tireless​ ​adoration​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Eucharist

Illness marked Clare’s last 30 years on Earth, but the joyful intimacy she had with the Lord in prayer never subsided. “Nothing is so great,” she wrote, “as the heart of man: there, in the depths, dwells God.” A tireless worshiper of Our Eucharistic Lord, Clare’s devotion was so great that once she even staved off an invasion of Saracens, armed only with a pyx.

Proclaimed​ ​a​ ​Saint​ ​two​ ​years​ ​after​ ​her​ ​death

On a Christmas night, sick in bed and immersed in prayer, contemplating the sacred action unfolding in the Porziuncola - the heart of the friars' community - Clare was given a vision of the rites as they unfolded. She saw the celebration in a vision that appeared on the wall of her cell. It was owing to this miraculous occurrence, that Pius XII made her patroness of television. Clare died on August 11, 1253, on the bare floor of San Damiano. On her lips, the last thanksgiving: ““Go securely and in peace, my blessed soul. The One who created you and made you holy has always loved you tenderly as a mother her dear child. And you, Lord, are blessed because You have created me.” Unprecedented numbers of people took part in her funeral, and Alexander IV proclaimed her a Saint only two years later.

Liturgical Calendar

11 August: Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin

Memorial

Today's Readings and Gospel

Reading 1 : Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Alleluia : See 2 Thessalonians 2:14
Gospel : Matthew 17:22-27

Liturgical vestments: White

  • “His passion is our resurrection.” (Saint Ignatius of Antioch)

  • “A new worship is being introduced, in a Temple not built by human hands. This Temple is his body, the Risen One, who gathers the peoples and unites them in the sacrament of his body and blood.” (Benedict XVI)

  • “Jesus venerated the Temple by going up to it for the Jewish feasts of pilgrimage, and with a jealous love he loved this dwelling of God among men. The Temple prefigures his own mystery. When he announces its destruction, it is as a manifestation of his own execution and of the entry into a new age in the history of salvation, when his Body would be the definitive Temple.” (Catechism Of The Catholic Church, Nº 593)

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