August 11, 2021

Readings for the Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin

Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin

Lectionary: 415

Reading I

Dt 34:1-12

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him, 
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.

Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.

Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.

Responsorial Psalm

66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17

1.  (see 20a and 10b)  Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
   Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
       sing praise to the glory of his name;
       proclaim his glorious praise.
   Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”
   R.    Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
   Come and see the works of God,
       his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
   Bless our God, you peoples; 
       loudly sound his praise.
   R.    Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
   Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare 
       what he has done for me.
   When I appealed to him in words,
       praise was on the tip of my tongue.
   R.    Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!

Alleluia

2 Cor 5:19

1. Alleluia, alleluia.
   God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
   and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
   R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen, 
take one or two others along with you,
so that  every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

Reflection: THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING NO PRIVILEGES

Clare was from an aristocratic family and she met Francis of Assisi several times during her adolescence. She fled from her home on Palm Sunday in 1212 and went with her aunt Bianca and a companion through the forest to the Portiuncula, outside Assisi, where Francis lived with his small community. Francis and his brethren awaited her with torches at midnight. Here she exchanged her fine clothing for a coarse tunic and veil, got her hair cut and vowed herself to Christ in utter poverty. Later she was joined by her sister, Agnes who was only 15 years of age and still later by her own mother and several women of illustrious families. Francis then placed them in a small house adjacent to the church of San Damiano and named Clare as the superior. She held the office of Abbess for 40 years, 29 of which were years of sickness. That was the beginning of the cloistered Franciscan nuns known as the Poor Clares. Clare died on 12" August 1253. Her funeral was attended by the Pope and his entire court, and two years later she was canonised by Pope Alexander IV. They practised severe austerities that Francis and the Bishop of Assisi found it necessary to mitigate their ascetical practices somewhat. Their rules were very austere and so it took long for their rules to be approved. While two of the Popes made it less severe, Clare insisted on an absolute poverty and complete dependence on alms. Finally Pope Innocent I solemnly confirmed the definitive rule. She obtained from the Pope the privilege not to have privileges', that is, to live absolutely poor. In these modern times when our wants keep multiplying, we go on a shopping spree, buying more than what we really need. Let us consider the poor and see how we can cut down on our wants and live by our needs.