Subj : April 17th - Bl. Clare of Pisa To : All From : rich Date : Mon Apr 16 2018 10:06:07 From: rich April 17th - Bl. Clare of Pisa, Widow (also known as Thora or Theodora of Pisa) d. 1419 THIS Bl. Clare was the child of Peter Gambacorta, who became virtually head of the Pisan republic, and she was born in 1362; Bl. Peter of Pisa (Gambacorta junior; June 17) was her brother, 7 years older than herself. To provide for the future of his little daughter, familiarly known as Thora (short for Theodora), her father betrothed her to Simon de Massa, a wealthy youth of good family, although the child was only 7 years old. Yet, young as she was, she was wont to slip off her betrothal ring during Mass and murmur; =E2=80=9CLord, thou knowest that I desire no love but thine=E2=80=9D. At the age of 12 when she was sent to he= r husband's home, she had already begun to practise severe mortifications. Her mother-in-law was kind, but upon discovering that Thora was over-lavish in her gifts to the poor she ceased to allow her access to the household stores. Her charitable instincts thus thwarted in one direction, the young bride joined a band of ladies who ministered to the sick, and she took as her special charge a poor woman afflicted with a distressing form of cancer. Thora's wedded l= ife was of short duration: she and her husband fell ill of an epidemic disease which cost him his life. As she was only 15 her relations set about arranging another marriage, but she was old enough to assert herself, and her decision to remain a widow was strengthened by a letter from St. Catherine of Siena, whose acquaintance she had made when that holy woman had Visited Pisa. As a first step, Thora cut off her hair and distributed her fine clothes to the poor--much to the indignation of her mother and sisters-in-law. Then, secretly, through the intermediary of a servant, she arranged for admission into the Poor Clares. Stealing out of the house she made her way to the convent, where she was immediately clothed with the habit, assuming at the same time the name of Clare, by which she was from thenceforth to be known. The following day her brothers appeared at the gates to demand her return, and the terrified nuns let her down over the wall into the hands of her kinsmen, who took her home in disgrace. Although she was kept a prisoner in her father's house for five months, neither threats nor starvation coul= d shake her determination. At last Peter Gambacorta relented, and not only allowed his daughter to enter the Dominican priory of Holy Cross, but promised to build another house of the order. She now became associated with Mary Mancini, also a widow, and destined like herself to be raised to the altars of the Church. The teaching of St. Catherine of Siena strongly influenced the two women who, when they were transferred to Gambacorta's new foundation in 1382, succeeded in inaugurating observance of their rule in its primitive austerity. This house, in which Bl. Clare was at first sub-prioress and then prioress, became the training centre for many saintly women who afterwards carried the reform movement to other Italian cities. To this day, enclosed Dominican nuns are often spoken of in Italy as =E2=80=9CSisters of Pisa=E2= =80=9D. They led a contemplative life of prayer, manual work and study: =E2=80=9CNever forget=E2=80=9D, said Bl. Clare's director, =E2=80=9Cthat in our or= der very few have become saints who were not likewise scholars.=E2=80=9D During the rest of her life, the holy prioress was beset by financial difficulties in connection with her convent, which required alterations and extensions. Nevertheless, when a large sum of money came into her hands with the option of using it for the priory, she preferred to give it for the establishment of a foundling hospital. Perhaps, however, her most conspicuous virtues were her sense of duty and her forgiving spirit--both of which she displayed to a heroic degree in exceptional circumstances. Gambacorta, in the midst of his efforts to maintain peace in the city, was treacherously slain by Giacomo Appiano, whose fortune he had made and whom he had refused to mistrust; two of his sons were done to death by the miscreant's supporters, whilst a third escaped, closely followed by the enemy, to the door of Bl. Clare's convent at which he knocked for admission. Recognizing that her first duty was to protect her daughters from the mob, the prioress refused to break the enclosure. Her brother was hewn down at the threshold, and the shock brought on her a severe illness. But Clare could forgive so completely that she invited Appiano to send her a dish from his table that she might seal her forgiveness by partaking of his bread. In later years, when his widow and daughters were reduced to great straits, she opened the convent doors to receive them. Bl. Clare was a great sufferer towards the close of her life, and as she lay on her death-bed with outstretched arms, she was heard to murmur, =E2=80=9CMy Jesus, here I am upon the cross=E2=80=9D. Just before s= he died, however, her face was illuminated with a radiant smile and she blessed her daughters absent as well as present. She had reached the age of 57 years. Her cultus was confirmed in 1830. There is an Italian life by a contemporary, herself a nun, which has been translated into Latin and printed in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. ii, and there are also a few of Clare's letters, which have be= en published. Bible Quote: The wise men will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be occupied in the prophets. He will keep the sayings of renowned men, and will enter withal into the subtilties of parables. (Ecclesiasticus 39:1-2) Saint Quote: I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God. --Saint Dominic Savio <><><> Jesus, gentlest Savior, God of might and power, Thou Thyself art dwelling In us at this hour. Nature cannot hold Thee, Heaven is all too strait For Thine endless glory And Thy royal state. F. Faber: An Art of Thanksgiving. (19th cent.) --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .