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Veni, Sponsa Christi!
Come, Spouse of Christ!
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The
Kingdom is the presence of the King; and wheresoever the King is,
he reigns. He reigns by putting darkness to flight; He reigns by
giving a feast for the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.
His kingship shines in the eyes of brothers and sisters who know
hunger and thirst, who suffer from alienation, rejection and
loneliness. His kingship is found in the midst of those who suffer
in any way.
The King is the poor Christ. If you would live in the intimacy of
the King, if you desire to see his face and hear his voice, if you
would learn to recognize his footsteps resounding in the night;
even more, if you would await him as a virgin, delight him as a
bride, love him as a spouse, and carry him as a mother, then pray
to recognize him in the mystery of his hidden Kingship. Martin of
Tours saw him in the beggar without a cloak; holy Father Francis
kissed him in the leper; Therese mothered him in the criminal
condemned to death, and gave him joy in the most exasperating of
her sisters. |
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Sacred Liturgy gives us two pathways into the splendor of his
reign. The first is through the "sacrament" of brothers
and sisters in need; the second is through the lowly door of our
own weakness. At different moments in a Poor Clare's life, she may
find herself led by the Holy Spirit along one or the other or both
of these paths. What is clear to those who love and observe the
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is that there is no other way
into the mystery of his hidden Kingship. This is why she binds
herself by holy vows to live in obedience, without anything of her
own, in chastity, and in the observance of enclosure. Obedience
obliges her again and again to "come up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her Beloved". Dispossession of anything of her
own will oblige her to live from the resources of the King.
Chastity will free her heart to love her sisters in community, and
to assume the awesome and joyful responsibilities of spiritual
motherhood in the Church, especially in favor of sinners, of the
dying, the lonely, the tempted and the poor. The observance of
enclosure anchors her in the reality of the little and poor for
whom there is no escape from the daily experience of lowliness and
need, no escape from perfect joy! |
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For
the Poor Clare Sister, the Eucharist is prepared as foretaste and
pledge of the glorious Kingdom of the poor and exalted Christ.
"Come, for all is now ready". And she, responding with
all her heart to the invitation of the King, has chosen the lowest
place. She remains there, full of joy, so that when the King comes
he may say to her not only, "Friend, come up higher,"
but "Come, 0 bride of Christ, receive the crown prepared for
you from all eternity" (antiphon, Rite of Profession);
"Sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down
with my Father on his throne" (Rev. 3:21). "The Spirit
and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let him who hears say, 'Come.'
Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!" |
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