The Prophetic Fire of Clare

The Prophetic Fire of Clare
A Collection of Meditations on St. Clare as a Prophet for Our Times

by
Sister Abigail Hester

Dedication

To every woman and man who has ever been told to sit down, be quiet, or stay small—
may Clare’s fire give you courage to stand, to speak, and to burn brightly.

Acknowledgments

I give thanks to my Franciscan Clarean community, whose daily witness shows me that Clare’s fire is not a relic but a living flame.
To my sisters and brothers in ministry, to my friends who have kindled my courage, and to all who struggle to live prophetically in a world that often prefers silence—this book belongs to you too.

Above all, gratitude to Christ, the Fire at the heart of Clare’s life, who still sets hearts ablaze.

Epigraph

“Place your mind before the mirror of eternity,
place your soul in the brilliance of glory,
place your heart in the figure of the divine substance,
and transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead Itself
through contemplation.”
—St. Clare of Assisi

Introduction: Why Clare Still Burns Today

St. Clare of Assisi lived over eight hundred years ago, yet her life pulses with urgency for our times. In an age of comfort, distraction, and superficial faith, Clare reminds us that prophecy is not just for the extraordinary few—it is for every soul willing to risk, to speak, and to burn with the love of God.

She was small in stature but enormous in courage. She refused the trappings of wealth and power, choosing poverty not as a denial of the world but as a radical embrace of God’s presence in all things. She challenged the status quo not with violence, but with a fierceness that disarmed armies and shook the complacent hearts of her contemporaries. Her weapons were prayer, trust, and the light of Christ shining through her obedience and love.

This book is an invitation. Through meditations on her life, her letters, her prayers, and her actions, we explore how Clare’s prophetic fire can ignite our own lives. Each chapter seeks to illuminate a piece of her spirit—the fire that transformed cloister walls into altars of courage, the fire that confronted injustice with gentleness and power, the fire that called us to a life of radical love in a world desperate for witness.

Prophecy is never comfortable. It challenges, it unsettles, it demands sacrifice. Yet Clare’s life shows that the fire we fear to light in ourselves is the very flame that can illuminate the darkness around us. If we dare to live with her audacity, her humility, and her devotion, we can become living mirrors of the prophetic light she carried.

This is not a biography. This is a guide, a meditation, and a call. Clare speaks still—not from the past, but into our present. And she asks each of us: will you tend the fire? Will you let it consume your fears and kindle your courage? Will you become a prophet for your own time, even in small, daily ways?

Read with your heart open, your hands ready, and your spirit awake. Clare’s fire is waiting.

Chapter One: The Girl Who Said No

Clare of Assisi was born into privilege, yet from the beginning, she carried a spark that refused to be tamed. In a world where wealth and marriage defined a woman’s value, Clare said no. She looked past the gilded walls of her family home and saw something far greater: a life wholly given to God.

At a young age, Clare’s heart was drawn to the poor, the forgotten, and the sacred silence of prayer. She watched the extravagance around her—the opulent gowns, the feasts, the shallow applause of society—and quietly, fiercely, rejected it. Her rebellion was not loud or violent; it was a radical turning inward, a turning toward God that shook the foundations of her world.

This “no” was prophetic. Prophecy is never just words—it is courage, it is witness, it is action that refuses to bow to cultural pressure. Clare’s refusal to marry, her embrace of poverty, her choice to follow Francis of Assisi into the radical life of the Gospel: these were acts that spoke louder than any sermon. In them, she foretold a vision of the Church and the world that prized holiness over status, love over wealth, and courage over comfort.

We often imagine prophecy as a dramatic, world-shaking moment, but Clare teaches us otherwise. Prophecy begins in the quiet, in the small, stubborn decisions that align our lives with God’s will rather than the world’s expectations. Each choice, each act of courage, is a spark. Clare’s early “no” was the first flicker of a fire that would later engulf cloisters, cities, and hearts across centuries.

As we meditate on her youthful defiance, we are invited to ask ourselves: where are we tempted to conform, to settle, to remain small? Where can we, like Clare, say “no” to the noise and “yes” to the radical call of God? Her life challenges us to remember that prophecy is not a distant gift reserved for saints; it is a fire waiting to be lit in each of us, right here, right now.

Clare’s story begins not with grandeur but with a single choice, a quiet rebellion, a refusal to accept the world as it is when God calls her to what it could be. That is where the prophetic fire starts.

Chapter Two: Sister to the Poor

Clare’s “no” to wealth was not a rejection of the world itself, but a radical embrace of God present in the least, the lost, and the lowly. Poverty, for Clare, was not an absence—it was a presence: the presence of God in every crumb of bread, every act of mercy, every heart open to love.

To live in poverty is to live vulnerably, without the shields of money, status, or power. Clare chose this path deliberately, not as a hardship to endure but as a lens through which the divine could be seen more clearly. She stood against the comforts and comforts of her era with the audacity of one who saw the eternal in the everyday. Her life became a living prophecy: that wealth does not define value, and that holiness is measured not in possessions but in devotion and action.

Clare’s embrace of poverty was deeply communal. She did not choose this path for herself alone; she invited women to share in the radical joy of simplicity, creating a sisterhood that witnessed the Gospel through their very way of life. The poor, the suffering, the marginalized—they were not just recipients of her care; they were mirrors reflecting the face of Christ. In Clare’s world, to serve the poor was to participate in prophecy itself.

For us today, in a society obsessed with accumulation and comfort, Clare’s radical poverty is a mirror and a challenge. How often do we let possessions, ambitions, or pride blind us to God’s presence in those around us? How often do we mistake wealth for security or status for sanctity? Clare’s fire reminds us that true wealth is measured in compassion, humility, and courage.

To walk in Clare’s footsteps is to open our hands as well as our hearts. It is to seek simplicity, to embrace generosity, and to recognize that prophecy is not a voice from a pulpit but a life lived for the unseen, the overlooked, and the beloved of God.

As we meditate on Clare’s radical poverty, we are invited to ask ourselves: where can we unburden our lives of what is unnecessary? Where can we stand in solidarity with the marginalized and, in doing so, reflect the prophetic light that Clare carried into her world—and that still calls us today?

Chapter Three: The Fire of the Eucharist

If poverty was the lens through which Clare saw God, the Eucharist was the flame at the center of her life. It was not merely a ritual or a practice—it was the living presence of Christ, the source and fuel of her prophetic fire. Clare understood that true prophecy is rooted in encounter: to see God, to dwell in God, and then to carry that vision into the world.

Clare’s devotion to the Eucharist was fierce and singular. She is remembered for holding the monstrance before invading soldiers, confronting fear and violence not with sword or shield, but with the living Body of Christ. In that moment, she transformed vulnerability into courage, silence into proclamation, and devotion into prophecy. The world around her may have been dark, chaotic, and threatening—but the light of the Eucharist made her heart a beacon, her witness undeniable.

For Clare, prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was not private indulgence but preparation for radical action. It fueled her courage, her steadfastness, and her ability to challenge the powers of her day without succumbing to anger or despair. Her life demonstrates that spiritual intimacy and prophetic action are inseparable: to know God profoundly is to act in the world profoundly.

In our modern lives, where distraction and busyness drown out quiet devotion, Clare’s example calls us back to the heart of prophecy. The Eucharist reminds us that God is not abstract, distant, or inert; God is present, active, and calling us to act with love, justice, and courage. To dwell in the Eucharist is to allow our souls to be set ablaze, so that we can carry Christ’s light into every dark corner of our lives and communities.

As we meditate on Clare’s fiery devotion, we are invited to ask ourselves: what fuels our courage? Where do we encounter God most vividly, and how does that encounter compel us to act? Clare teaches that prophecy is born where intimacy with God meets fearless action, and that the fire of the Eucharist is a fire we are called to carry—boldly, gently, unyieldingly—into the world around us.

Chapter Four: Hidden but Not Silent

At first glance, Clare’s cloistered life seems the opposite of prophecy. Walls, enclosures, silence—how could this be a stage for courage or a voice for change? Yet Clare turned what the world might see as limitation into the very arena of her prophetic witness. Her enclosure was not retreat from reality; it was a radical stage for intimacy with God and action in the Spirit.

Within the cloister, Clare discovered freedom. Freed from the demands of societal expectations, she could devote herself fully to prayer, contemplation, and care for her sisters. Her cloister was not a prison but a crucible—where faith was refined, courage was strengthened, and prophecy took root. Through silence and humility, she confronted the noise of the world more powerfully than any spoken word could.

Clare’s life reminds us that prophecy is not always loud. Sometimes the most radical acts are those that go unseen: letters written with care, hospitality offered quietly, prayer offered unceasingly. These acts ripple outward, touching lives in ways we cannot measure, changing hearts as surely as speeches or protests change minds.

For our time, when busyness and noise can drown out the voice of God, Clare’s hidden witness is a radical call. It tells us that prophecy can live in our small actions, in our consistent prayer, in our commitment to presence and compassion—even when no one is watching. To live prophetically is to act with integrity, courage, and love, whether on a public stage or in the quiet of our own hearts.

As we meditate on Clare’s hidden but potent witness, we are invited to ask ourselves: where can our silence be transformative? How can our private devotion become public courage? Clare’s cloister teaches us that even in hiding, prophecy speaks loudly—and that the fire of God’s Spirit is never constrained by walls.

Chapter Five: Letters of Fire

Clare’s prophetic voice was not only spoken or enacted—it was written. Her letters to Sister Agnes and other companions reveal a tenderness and wisdom that could pierce hearts across time and space. In these letters, we see Clare’s vision of God’s love made practical, her guidance steeped in courage, and her prophecy wrapped in intimate care.

Through her words, Clare taught that holiness is not abstract; it is lived in small acts of devotion, in patience with others, and in steadfastness when the world tempts us to compromise. Her letters are tender yet firm, nurturing yet challenging—reminding her sisters that prophecy is not comfortable, but it is always rooted in love. She wrote not to command, but to awaken the courage that already lay dormant in each sister’s heart.

Clare’s letters also illuminate a profound truth about prophecy: it is relational. True prophetic action does not happen in isolation; it happens in dialogue, in guidance, in bearing witness to another’s struggle and potential. Her words built communities of courage and faith, sustaining sisters who might otherwise have felt alone in their radical choices. Each letter was a spark, each word a flame, intended to ignite courage, humility, and devotion.

For us today, Clare’s epistolary witness challenges us to consider the power of our own words—written, spoken, or digital. How can our communication nurture courage, confront injustice, or inspire love? How can our guidance, tenderly offered, become prophetic? Clare’s letters remind us that prophecy is not only about grand gestures; it is about the small fires we light in the hearts of those around us.

As we reflect on these letters, we are invited to ask: what words can we write, speak, or send to sustain, awaken, and challenge those in our own circles? How can our messages become vessels of God’s fire, carrying light and courage where it is most needed? Clare’s written words endure as living sparks, calling each of us to act prophetically in the relationships that shape our world.

Chapter Six: Radical Equality

Clare’s prophecy was not only spiritual; it was social. In a world dominated by patriarchal norms, she dared to envision a community where women’s voices, leadership, and holiness were recognized and honored. Her radical equality was not a political stance but a spiritual truth: in Christ, all are valued, all are gifted, all are called to witness.

Through her leadership of the Poor Clares, Clare modeled a vision of authority that was collaborative, humble, and courageous. She empowered her sisters to embrace their own callings, to live in radical poverty, and to take prophetic action in ways the world often tried to suppress. In her cloister, women were not subordinate; they were co-prophets, co-witnesses to God’s love.

Clare’s insistence on equality challenged both society and Church structures. She refused to accept that gender or status could determine one’s ability to serve God fully. She exemplified that true leadership is rooted in service, courage, and fidelity to God’s will. Her life continues to challenge our assumptions about who can lead, who can speak, and who can act prophetically.

For us today, Clare’s radical equality is both inspiration and call to action. How do we affirm the gifts, voices, and leadership of all people around us? Where do we need to challenge systems—whether social, familial, or institutional—that limit participation or silence prophetic voices? Clare’s fire reminds us that equality is not optional; it is prophetic.

As we meditate on Clare’s example, we are invited to ask ourselves: how can we live out equality in our own communities, relationships, and spheres of influence? How can we foster spaces where all can hear God’s call and act upon it? Clare’s vision of equality is a blazing invitation: prophecy is strongest when it lifts every voice, not just one.

Chapter Seven: Prophet of Nonviolence

Clare’s courage was never wielded as a weapon, yet it struck fear into those who sought to harm her community. When soldiers threatened her convent, she did not call for armies or barricades; she lifted the monstrance, holding the living Christ before them. In that moment, her devotion became a shield, her faith a sword sharper than any blade.

Prophecy, for Clare, was inseparable from nonviolence. She taught that true courage does not destroy but transforms, that the power of God’s presence can halt hatred without hatred in return. Her life demonstrates that spiritual strength is not measured by force, but by fidelity, patience, and the fearless trust that God’s justice will prevail.

Clare’s example challenges our modern notions of power. We live in a world that often equates strength with domination, victory with violence. Clare shows us a different way: the quiet, steady, unyielding power of faith, prayer, and moral courage. Her resistance was active, not passive; prophetic, not reactive. She confronted the chaos of her times with a presence so filled with God that fear itself was disarmed.

For us today, her witness calls us to embody nonviolent prophecy in our own struggles. It asks: where can we confront injustice without replicating its violence? How can we wield courage, prayer, and moral conviction as weapons for peace and healing? Clare’s fire is not a call to passivity but a summons to fearless, transformative action rooted in love.

As we meditate on Clare’s prophetic nonviolence, we are invited to ask: what weapons do we carry in our hearts and hands, and how might they be transformed by the Spirit? How can our courage shine as a beacon of peace in a world still too often consumed by fear and aggression? Clare’s life illuminates a radical truth: prophecy is strongest when it seeks not to destroy but to heal, when it confronts evil with unwavering love.

Chapter Eight: Prophetic Poverty in the Age of Consumerism

Clare’s radical poverty was not simply a renunciation of material wealth—it was a prophetic stance against a world obsessed with accumulation, comfort, and status. She understood that possessions can enslave the heart, dull the spirit, and distract from God’s call. Choosing poverty was her declaration: that true freedom, true courage, and true holiness come not from what we own, but from how fully we give ourselves to God and neighbor.

In today’s world, consumerism surrounds us like a constant roar. Advertisements promise happiness through acquisition; culture measures success in wealth, appearance, and influence. Clare’s life challenges us to pause, to see the illusion, and to recognize that the fire of God’s Spirit burns brightest in hearts unburdened by excess. Her witness is a call to simplicity, generosity, and mindful presence—a life where every act and choice is intentional, sacred, and aligned with divine purpose.

Clare’s poverty was not only personal; it was communal. She formed a sisterhood that embraced simplicity together, sharing resources, labor, and devotion. Poverty became a space of equality, intimacy, and spiritual depth. Through it, she demonstrated that prophetic witness is inseparable from solidarity—walking with the marginalized, lifting the vulnerable, and living visibly in alignment with Gospel values.

For us, living Clare’s prophetic poverty might look different, yet the principle remains: where can we let go of excess to make space for God? How can our lives witness simplicity, generosity, and courage in a culture that glorifies accumulation? Her fire challenges us to unburden ourselves—of greed, distraction, and fear—so that we might act freely, love fully, and serve faithfully.

As we meditate on Clare’s radical poverty, we are invited to ask: what chains do we carry that obscure our vision of God? What treasures can we release to better serve the poor, the forgotten, and the Spirit’s call within us? Clare’s life reminds us that the prophetic fire thrives not in abundance, but in the daring simplicity of a heart wholly surrendered to God.

Chapter Nine: Clare and Creation

Clare’s prophetic vision extended beyond humanity—it embraced all of creation. She saw God reflected in every living thing, every tree, bird, and flower. Her love for the natural world was not sentimental; it was spiritual, a recognition that all creation bears the mark of the Creator and is entrusted to our care.

In an era when the earth was taken for granted, Clare lived lightly, with reverence and gratitude. She reminded her sisters—and through them, all of us—that the natural world is not a backdrop for human activity but a participant in God’s glory. To harm creation is to wound the divine; to care for it is to act prophetically.

Clare’s ecological insight was radical for her time, and it remains urgent today. Our world faces unprecedented environmental crises, fueled by exploitation, neglect, and indifference. Clare’s life calls us to see creation as sacred, to act with humility and responsibility, and to recognize that our choices carry consequences for the earth and for generations to come.

Prophecy, in Clare’s example, is holistic. It does not separate concern for people from concern for the planet. Caring for creation is caring for God’s children; reverence for the earth is reverence for God Himself. Her life challenges us to live sustainably, to respect all life, and to witness to God’s glory in the natural world.

As we meditate on Clare and creation, we are invited to ask: how can we deepen our awareness of God in the natural world? Where can our actions restore balance, protect life, and honor the sacredness of creation? Clare’s prophetic fire is alive in the green of the trees, the song of birds, and the rivers flowing freely—calling us to act with care, courage, and awe for the world entrusted to us.

Chapter Ten: Prophets in the Streets

Clare’s fire was never confined to prayer or cloister alone; it demanded engagement with the world. Though she lived in enclosure, her heart and vision reached outward—to the poor, the suffering, the marginalized, and the forgotten. In this, she offers a model for prophetic action in our own time: prophecy is not passive; it is present, active, and transformative.

Modern prophecy, like Clare’s, calls us to step into the streets—literally and figuratively. It calls us to see the invisible, hear the unheard, and speak courageously in spaces where comfort tempts us to stay silent. It asks us to extend mercy, challenge injustice, and embody hope in tangible ways. For Clare, service to the poor was not an optional act of charity—it was the very expression of God’s kingdom on earth.

Her life reminds us that prophecy thrives in community. We are not called to bear witness alone; we are called to act alongside others, to lift voices together, and to sustain one another in courage and commitment. Clare’s sisters were her partners, co-prophets in a radical journey that transformed lives and communities.

For us today, prophecy in the streets might look like feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, advocating for justice, or simply noticing and responding to suffering where it exists. Clare’s fire ignites our own, urging us to act with compassion, discernment, and relentless faithfulness.

As we meditate on Clare’s prophetic engagement, we are invited to ask: where can we step into the streets of our own communities—physical or spiritual—to witness God’s love? How can our daily actions reflect courage, service, and prophetic vision? Clare’s life assures us that even small acts, performed faithfully, can become blazing testimonies to the presence of God in the world.

Chapter Eleven: Prophecy of Joy

Clare’s prophetic fire was not only courage, discipline, or resistance—it was joy. Even amid hardship, poverty, and danger, her life radiated a deep, unshakable gladness rooted in God. This joy was not escapism; it was a defiance of despair, a proclamation that God’s presence transforms suffering into hope.

Joy, for Clare, was prophetic. In a world quick to fear, complain, or succumb to cynicism, she demonstrated that the Spirit’s fire shines brightest in hearts open to delight, gratitude, and wonder. Her laughter, song, and lightness of spirit were acts of witness: reminders that prophecy is not merely warning or critique—it is celebration of the Kingdom that God is bringing forth.

Her example teaches us that prophecy and joy are inseparable. To witness courageously and act faithfully is difficult without delight in God’s love. Clare’s joy energized her, sustained her, and drew others into her vision. It was a contagious flame, a spiritual contagion of hope that inspired her sisters and strengthened her community.

In our modern world, filled with fear, anger, and division, Clare’s prophecy of joy is a radical invitation. It asks us to notice beauty, embrace gratitude, and celebrate life even while confronting injustice. It calls us to cultivate hearts that can endure suffering while radiating hope, courage, and love.

As we meditate on Clare’s joy, we are invited to ask: how can our delight in God become prophetic? Where can laughter, gratitude, or wonder illuminate hearts and communities around us? Clare’s life teaches that joy is not frivolous—it is a holy, fearless force that transforms fear, ignites courage, and spreads the fire of God into the world.

Chapter Twelve: Becoming Clare Today

Clare’s prophetic fire was not a relic of the past—it is a call for us now. Her courage, her devotion, her radical love for God and neighbor still challenges and inspires. To become Clare today is not to imitate her exactly, but to embody the principles she lived: fidelity, humility, joy, courage, and radical compassion.

We live in a world that values comfort over courage, noise over silence, and acquisition over service. Clare’s life calls us to resist these currents, to cultivate spaces of prayer, presence, and prophetic action. Becoming Clare is to see God in the poor, the marginalized, and the overlooked; to embrace simplicity in a culture of excess; to act boldly for justice without resorting to force; and to let joy shine even in the midst of hardship.

Prophecy is not about grandeur—it is about alignment with God’s will, however small or hidden our actions may seem. It is about letting the Spirit guide our hearts, words, and deeds so that even ordinary moments become acts of witness. Clare shows us that the fire of prophecy ignites wherever love, courage, and fidelity are present.

As we conclude this meditation, we are invited to ask: how can we live prophetically today, in our families, communities, and workplaces? Where can we simplify, serve, or speak truth boldly? How can our joy, courage, and devotion light the way for others? Clare’s fire calls us not to admire from a distance, but to participate, to act, to live fully in the radical love and prophetic courage she exemplified.

May this book inspire not only reflection but action. May Clare’s flame awaken in us a heart that refuses compromise with injustice, embraces the marginalized, celebrates creation, and walks with fearless joy. To live as Clare is to let the prophetic fire of God burn brightly within us—and through us, into the world.

Closing: A Prayer to Catch Clare’s Fire

O God, who lit the flame of courage, simplicity, and love in the heart of St. Clare,
set our hearts ablaze with that same prophetic fire.

Teach us to say “no” to fear, comfort, and compromise,
and “yes” to radical love, service, and courage.
Help us to see Your presence in the poor, the marginalized, and in all creation,
and to act with unwavering faith in their service.

Grant us the joy that Clare carried even amid hardship,
the humility that made her strong,
and the boldness to live faithfully,
even when the world resists our witness.

May our prayers be active, our silence be powerful,
our words be tender but prophetic,
and our lives a mirror of Your love in a world that so desperately needs it.

O Spirit of God, fan into flame the spark Clare ignited,
so that we, too, may carry Your light,
your courage, and Your love into every heart, every home, and every street.

Amen.

Notes & References

Clare of Assisi, The Letters of St. Clare – for insights into her personal guidance and prophetic counsel.
Clare of Assisi, The Rule of St. Clare – foundational text illustrating her vision of poverty, community, and devotion.
Regis J. Armstrong, Clare of Assisi: Early Documents – historical context for her life and spirituality.
Sean A. Gannon, St. Clare and the Poor Clares – reflections on her leadership and prophetic impact.
Franciscan Clarean writings and meditations – for contemporary applications of Clare’s vision.