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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, we are blessed to be here in Assisi.

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<v SPEAKER_00>This morning we spent time meditating on the life of Saint Francis.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And now we find ourselves in this beautiful church of Saint Clair.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is here in Assisi where the gospel stopped being this idea and where the gospel has for centuries been lived out in the flesh.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And nowhere is that clearer than here at where St.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Clair is.

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<v SPEAKER_00>People described Claire as someone that was gentle, someone who was quiet.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But the truth is she was one of the strongest women in Christian history.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Strength in that Franciscan spirituality was not loud.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It's the kind of strength that comes when nothing stands between your relationship with Christ.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Claire understood Francis in a way that no other person did.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She saw that the heart of his conversion wasn't simply poverty, it was freedom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And many of you know that in my doctoral dissertation, I'm writing about the theology of freedom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I find this very fascinating, Claire's relationship with Francis and the role of Franciscan spirituality when we understand freedom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because freedom from fear, freedom from control, from the freedom to cling to everything, her whole spirituality can be summed up in what she wrote to Agnes of Prague.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She said, look upon him, consider him, contemplate him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because you see, when Christ becomes our gaze, everything else loses its power to imitate you, to manipulate you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One scene tells you who Claire really was.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There's a story that she was sick in bed and there was an invading army approaching Frederick II.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Unable to even rise from bed, but she did it anyway.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She went and she grabbed the monstrance with the blessed sacrament.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She placed the Eucharist at the door and prayed out loud, Lord, protect these sisters you have given me.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And the soldiers fled.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's the authority of the heart that's entirely surrendered to God, a heart that truly trusts in God's providence.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So today, as pilgrims here to Assisi, what does Claire ask of us today?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, I came up with three simple, uncomfortable questions for us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One, what am I holding that Christ is asking me to release?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Two, where is he asking me to trust without a safety net?

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then finally, an uncomfortable question is what part of my life needs to be rebuilt?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Not superficially, but spiritually.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Claire shows us that holiness is not complicated.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is costly, yes, but it's not complicated.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It begins with empty hands and an honest heart.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it always leads us back to the Eucharist.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The center of Claire's life, her strength, her joy, her courage, everything about her came from the strength in the Eucharist.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And so, my brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this Mass here in this beautiful church, where down below you will venerate the body of Claire, ask the Lord for a bit of her clarity, of her fearlessness, her freedom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She will help you if you ask for her intercession.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She will steady you, she will teach you, just as she taught Francis, that when Christ passes by, you don't negotiate, you follow, you trust, you surrender.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Saint Claire Vassisi, pray for us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Saint Francis, pray for us.