Previous Post – Some Weekend Reading

In many ways, St. Clare of Assisi was a partner with St. Francis in the formation of Franciscan spirituality.  One of the key ways of doing this was articulating in words many of the disciplines and truths that Francis lived out in his life and ministry.  Perhaps the best example of this is the Franciscan pattern of prayer, a four-fold pattern that, while similar to other monastic disciplines, was also very unique.  The four steps are referred to as: gazing, considering, contemplating, and imitating.

• To Gaze: Similar to the discipline of reading the Scripture, St. Clare intentionally used the visually influenced term because she understood that many people of her time were illiterate, glean a great deal of the Gospel story through icons, fresco and other visual displays.  Francis practiced this a great deal, starting the first live nativity, barn animals and all.  Beyond literacy, though, the intent was to center us on the reality of the texts, reinforcing the deeply incarnational convictions of the Franciscans.
• To Consider: Again paralleling the monastic discipline of meditation, Clare framed it is terms that the common people could understand.  Here she appealed to the imagination, to invite us into the text as though we were physically present.  Again, the incarnational emphasis is central to the process, as it was for Francis too.
• To Contemplate: Explicitly using the term common to other monastics.  Not to be confused with consideration/meditation, this was the mystical discipline in which we seek to be present with the God who is eternally present with us.  It was a prayer of silence, of emptying oneself to all but the Spirit of Christ within us.  Clare knew that if we truly entered into the Gospels through gazing and consideration, begin to encounter the intimate presence of God in and around us.
• To Imitate: This fourth step is what sets the Franciscan pattern of prayer apart.  While many others have emphasized imitation of Christ, most believed that such behaviour was the fruit of prayer.  Francis and Clare knew that the imitation of Christ was, itself, the culmination of prayer.  For many, prayer was meant to bring them into a state of spiritual ecstasy or peace or love in God’s presence.  However, the Franciscan tradition understood that we encounter the presence of Christ most genuinely when we live His truth with our own lives.  After all, we are the Body of Christ, the incarnate presence, united and empowered by the very present Spirit of God within us.

I have found this pattern of prayer helpful.  What do you think?  What stands out to you?  Try it a few times, then let us know what you think.