Feast of St.Clare
Today is it the feast of St.Clare. I pulled a card to celebrate her life.
Much of our growth comes from making a commitment and seeing it through, despite difficulties.
When St.Clare was 18, she heard St. Francis preach and made a commitment to lead the same kind of poverty-based lift as he did. One night, in secret, she ment Francis and his monks at his chapel, where he cut off her hair and gave her a rough woolen habit. When her family learned what she had done, they tried to remove her forcibly from the convent where Francis had placed her. But Clare's determination to go through with her decision was firm. She refused to leave. Eventually her family relented, and her mother and sister joined her. Clare sticked to her decision. (From: Woodeene Koenig-Bricker, 365 Saints, Harper, 1995)
I pulled a card, holding in mind the following question: "What helps me to keep my life-commitment(s)?" (I mean here important commitments such as marriage, raising a child, joining a particular faith, etc.)
My card was 9 of Wands, from the Tarot of the Secret Forest, a nature-based tarot, fitting in with the spirituality of Clare, which is not only poverty-based, but also nature-loving.
The animals on that card are standing in the same direction, leaning on each other in the face of the difficulties of life (raindrops, down on the left), each coping with them with their own special gifts and weakness. This attitude of togetherness helps me to stick to my life-decisions. To me the card depicts, among other choices and commitments, my marriage.
You can read more about St.Clare here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_of_Assisi
The following is edited later. I lost the link. It is a wonderful meditation inspired by Franciscan spirituality:
http://www.mficusa.org/Reflection/Weekly%20Reflection.htm