"I will be for her a wall of fire round about, and will be the

glory in the midst of her."

Grafted into the spirituality of St. Francis, our contemplative life springs up with its
own particular physiognomy, quite distinct from that of other Institutes that are also
totally dedicated to contemplation.
Together with St. Francis, Clare relives the mystery of Christ "in order to restore the
Church" in a totally contemplative dimension. Her "living enclosed" flows from that
divine inspiration which draws her to embrace this way, the same most deep poverty
with which the Son of God gave himself up for the salvation of the world.
"Living enclosed" she participates in a profound way in the emptying out of Christ, in
the solitude which he experienced in his Passion. Clare has no fear of that radical
renunciation of all goods which comes from her living enclosed, for she possesses
"All Good" in the Poor Crucified to whom she clings as a poor virgin but conscious of
her fecundity, as a new Mary who under the Cross becomes co-redemptrix and
Mother. Her decision to enclose herself "in the small place of San Damiano"
manifests her thirst to live uniquely for Christ. In other words, her enclosure is also
inextricably bound up with the gift granted her by God.
Our particular following of Christ poor and crucified draws us to consider charismatic
this profound value of enclosure ... This value is thus a rich treasure which belongs to
us, bound up in a particular way to our spirituality, a talent of con-participation in the
mystery of Christ which must yield fruit with its mysterious fecundity for the growth
of the Kingdom.








Poor Clare Monastery, Eindhoven Netherlands