In the town square of Assisi, Francis of Assisi stripped off his father’s fine clothes and said:
“From now on I can truly say: Our Father who art in heaven.”[^1]
It was more than drama—it was protest. He was rejecting wealth, patriarchy, and control. Clare of Assisi did the same when she left her noble home, cut her hair, and embraced a new life of freedom. Later, when church officials tried to bend her into obedience, she pushed back and declared to her sisters:
“Go forward securely, joyfully, and swiftly on the path of happiness.”[^2]
Francis and Clare lived a gospel of freedom and courage. If they were alive today, they would not be silent about the spiritual sickness of transphobia and Christian nationalism. They would name them for what they are: false gospels.
The Franciscan-Clarean Lens
Francis saw all creation as family—Brother Sun, Sister Moon, even Sister Death. He kissed lepers, welcomed outcasts, and called enemies “brother.” He wrote:
“Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and can be of service.”[^3]
Clare defended the dignity of her sisters against bishops and popes, insisting that women could live the gospel without domination. She urged Agnes of Prague:
“Place your mind before the mirror of eternity. Place your soul in the brilliance of glory.”[^4]
In that eternal mirror, there are no flags, no borders, no gender policing—only the radiance of God shining in every creature.
Naming Today’s Powers
Christian nationalism fuses flag and cross, confusing domination with discipleship.
Transphobia in the church is another mask of the same power.
Both are rooted in fear. Both betray the gospel of Christ.
Francis and Clare knew that same fear-driven religion in their own day: a church bloated with wealth, launching crusades, obsessed with control. And they refused to bow to it.
How Francis Would Respond
Francis would not sit in legislative halls waving flags. He would be on the street corners with queer youth, in shelters with trans women, and at Pride with open arms.
This is the man who kissed lepers when others ran, who called the Sultan “brother” during the Crusades. He looked at faces and saw Christ. Today, he would see Christ in the trans teen fighting to survive, the drag queen daring to sparkle, the queer refugee seeking safety.
How Clare Would Respond
When soldiers came to attack her convent, Clare held up the Eucharist and prayed:
“See, Lord, I am in your hands. Protect these whom I cannot protect.”[^5]
The soldiers fled.
Clare knew how to stand between the vulnerable and the powerful. She told her sisters:
“Do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world that flies about like shadows.”[^6]
If she lived now, she would stand in the church doorway saying, “You shall not harm my siblings.” She would not yield an inch to those who try to use God as a weapon.
Unmasking False Piety
Francis warned:
“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”[^7]
Christian nationalism thrives on ideology. Transphobia thrives on theology twisted into cruelty. Both are knowledge without love—and therefore not of God.
Clare’s reminder cuts through the noise:
“What you hold, may you always hold. What you do, may you always do and never abandon.”[^8]
If we claim to follow Christ, we cannot abandon His most vulnerable children.
The Call for Us
Francis prayed:
“Let us all love God with our whole heart, and love our neighbor as ourselves.”[^9]
That’s the gospel. No exceptions, no caveats, no border walls or bathroom bills. Just love.
To follow Francis and Clare today is to stand where they would stand: with the marginalized, against the powers. It means rejecting the false gospel of nationalism and the cruelty of transphobia. It means daring to live as if God’s kingdom is already here—because it is.
Clare said it best:
“Love Him totally, who gave Himself totally for your love.”[^10]
That total love includes every body, every soul, every child of God.
The question, then, is not “What would Francis and Clare do?” The question is: What will we do?
Footnotes
[^1]: Thomas of Celano, The Life of Saint Francis, I.6.
[^2]: Clare of Assisi, Rule of Clare, Chapter X.
[^3]: Francis of Assisi, Admonitions, XXV.
[^4]: Clare of Assisi, Fourth Letter to Agnes of Prague, 15–16.
[^5]: The Legend of Saint Clare by Thomas of Celano, Chapter XXI.
[^6]: Clare of Assisi, Second Letter to Agnes of Prague, 10.
[^7]: Francis of Assisi, Admonitions, VII (echoing 1 Cor. 8:1).
[^8]: Clare of Assisi, First Letter to Agnes of Prague, 11.
[^9]: Francis of Assisi, Earlier Rule, Chapter XXIII.
[^10]: Clare of Assisi, Fourth Letter to Agnes of Prague, 29.
Sister Abigail Hester 
Leave a comment