ST. CLARA 183 St. Francis often visited Clara, teach- ing and advising her, while he lived at the Portiuncula, and she and her nnns at St. Damian's. She often entreated him to dine with her. He always re- fased, nntil his disciples remonstrated, representing to him that Clara had re- nounced the world through his preach- ing, and was, therefore, his spiritual daughter, and that he ought to do this little kindness to one so holy and so evidently beloved of God. Francis therefore consented to invite Clara to dine with him. He thought she would like to see again the church of St. Mary of the Angels, where she had made her monastic vows, so he ordered a feast to he prepared there. On the appointed day some of the brothers went to St. Damian's to fetch Clara and one of her companions. Before dinner they looked at the church. The table was spread on the ground, according to St. Francis' custom. Clara sat beside him, and her friend sat beside one of the .brethren. Soon Francis began to speak of Grod bo well and so sweetly that they forgot the things of the earth. The people of Assisi and the surrounding villages saw that the church and the wood, which then came close up to it, were wrapped in flames, but when they came to the place they found nothing burning and nothing injured. They went into the church, and saw Francis and Clara and their companions sitting round their humble table. Then they understood that the fire was the love of Grod burn- ing in the hearts of His saints. Clara returned to her nuns, to their great comfort ; for they had begun to fear that Francis might have sent her to preside over some other convent, as he had already sent her sister Agnes to Monti- celli, in Florence ; they remembered that he had once bidden Clara prepare her- self, lest he should want her elsewhere, and she had said she was ready to go wherever he might wish. Clara was twenty-seven at this time, and Francis about ten years older. When Francis died, he was carried from the Portiuncula to the cathedral. The multitude — who gloried in having their fellow-citizen honoured as a saint, and his holy relics buried amongst them — were more glad to possess the body of a saint than sorry that his gentle spirit had departed. When the procession came to the church of St. Damian's, the bier was set down in the chancel, that Clara and her companions might once more look upon the face of their Father Francis. Clara kissed his hands, saying, " Father, father, what will become of us now? Who will comfort us?" The nun who owed her conversion to him, and who had sympathized in his troubles, could not join in the exultation of the people. Clara's austerity destroyed her health and deprived her of the use of her limbs. She ruled her convent forty-two years, during twenty-eight of which she was paralyzed, and used to sit and spin flax of wonderful fineness. She died Aug. 11, 1253. Her wisdom and piety were widely known. Among the miracles recorded of her, it is told that once when she had only one loaf, she gave half of it to the friars, and, on her blessing and dividing the remainder, it was found to be enough to feed her whole community. Her convent was once attacked by a band of Saracens, who formed part of the army of the Emperor Frederick. The nuns came in terror to their Mother, who was now old, and had not walked or stood up for years. She instantly rose up, took the pyx from the altar, placed it on the threshold, and, kneeling before it, sang with a loud voice the psalm, " Thou hast rebuked the heathen." The terrified Moors threw down their arms and fled. Innocent lY. visited her immediately before her death, and finding she had already received the last sacraments, gave her the apostolic benediction and plenary absolution. He and all his court attended her funeral service, contrary to the custom of Popes. The Franciscan monks were beginning to sing the usual Mass for the dead, but the Pope stopped them, and suggested that the Mass of a sainted virgin would be more appropriate. The Cardioal-bishop of Ostia represented that it would be ;^irregular, and a bad precedent thus to canonize her immedi- ately after her death. He preached her
