“Our Gospel today gives us two very ordinary things: salt and light.

Jesus does not say, “You are the gold of the earth.” He does not say, “You are the diamonds of the world.”

He says: “You are the salt of the earth.” “You are the light of the world.”

Salt and light are very simple things. But without them, life becomes very different. And I think these two simple images describe beautifully the life of Saint Clare.

Today, I would like to share three lessons from her life and from our Gospel.

Like salt, make life better for others.

Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth.”

Salt is interesting because when it does its job well, you hardly notice it. When food tastes good, we usually praise the food. Nobody says, “Wow! What wonderful salt!” But when there is no salt, immediately we notice something is missing.

Perhaps that is also the Christian vocation. We don’t always have to be noticed. We simply have to make life better for others.

Saint Clare understood this. She spent most of her life hidden within the monastery. She was not traveling around Europe preaching. She was not looking for recognition. She prayed. She sacrificed. She loved her Sisters. She remained faithful to Christ. Her life was hidden, like salt mixed into food. And yet more than eight hundred years later, we are still inspired by her.

Dear Poor Clare Sisters, this is also the beauty of your vocation. Much of what you do is hidden. Nobody sees your prayers in the early morning. Nobody sees your sacrifices. Nobody knows all the intentions entrusted to you. Nobody knows the moments when you struggle and yet remain faithful. But please remember: Something does not have to be seen to be valuable. Salt disappears into the food, but it changes everything.

Perhaps that is what God asks from all of us. Not always to do something spectacular. Sometimes simply bring a little kindness into a difficult situation. Bring patience into your family. Bring forgiveness where there is resentment. Bring encouragement to someone who is discouraged.

Be the salt. You don’t have to be the center of attention. Just make the lives of people around you a little better because you are there.

Like light, give hope in the darkness.

Jesus continues: “You are the light of the world.”

This Gospel is especially beautiful for the feast of Saint Clare. The name Clare comes from Clara—clear, bright, shining. She truly became what her name meant. She became a light.

But what is interesting is that Clare never tried to shine. She did not seek fame. She did not seek attention. She simply stayed close to Jesus, the Light of the world. And because she remained close to Christ, His light began to shine through her.

That is an important lesson for us today. We live in a world where people are constantly trying to be noticed. How many followers do I have? How many likes did I receive? How many people viewed my post? Sometimes we are so concerned about being seen by others that we forget whether God sees something beautiful in us.

Saint Clare teaches us: Don’t worry about making yourself shine. Stay close to Jesus, and let Jesus shine through you.

Dear Sisters, your monastery is like a lamp quietly burning in the heart of the Church. People come here carrying problems. Some come worried about their children. Some are sick. Some have problems in their marriages. Some are confused. Some are carrying burdens they cannot even explain. And they come and say: “Sister, please pray for me.”

Why? Because they know that somewhere behind these walls, there are women keeping the lamp of prayer burning.

Please keep that lamp burning. Our families need it. Our young people need it. Our priests need it. Our Church needs it. And your Archbishop needs it too!

The world already has plenty of darkness. Don’t curse the darkness. Light a lamp. Sometimes one small light is enough to tell someone: “Do not give up. God is still here.”

Shine so that others can see Christ through you.

Finally Jesus says: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Notice carefully what Jesus says. He does not say: “Let people see your good works so that they will praise you.”

He says: “…that they may glorify your heavenly Father.”

That is the difference between Christian witness and self-promotion. We do good not so that people will say: “What a wonderful person!” But so that somehow they will say: “What a wonderful God!”

This was Saint Clare. Her life pointed beyond herself. When people looked at Clare, she wanted them to see Jesus.

This is also a beautiful examination of conscience for all of us. After people meet me, do they become closer to God? After people speak with me, do they feel encouraged or discouraged? When people see the way I treat others, do they see something of Jesus?

Because we can carry a Bible and still hurt people. We can pray the Rosary and still gossip. We can go to Mass every Sunday and still refuse to forgive. We can even live inside a monastery and still need conversion!

Holiness is not simply about where we live. Holiness is about allowing Christ to live in us.

Saint Clare allowed Christ to live in her so completely that her whole life became a light pointing toward God.

And this is the challenge of today’s Gospel: When people see the light in us, may they look beyond us and discover God.

——

There is a story about an old lighthouse keeper who lived alone on a rocky coast.

Every evening, before darkness came, he would climb the long staircase of the lighthouse and light the lamp.

Most nights were quiet. No ships came near. Nobody visited him. Nobody thanked him.

One evening, someone asked him: “Why do you faithfully light that lamp every night? Most of the time, nobody even sees it.”

The old man answered: “I don’t need to know who sees the light. I only need to keep it burning. Somewhere in the darkness, someone may need it.”

One stormy night, a ship was struggling against strong winds and huge waves. The captain could hardly see anything ahead.

Then, through the darkness and the rain, he saw the small light from the lighthouse. That light showed him where the dangerous rocks were—and where the safe passage was.

The lighthouse keeper never met the passengers of that ship.They never knew his name. He never heard their words of gratitude. But because he kept the light burning, people he did not know arrived safely home.

My dear brothers and sisters, I think of Saint Clare when I hear this story. And today, especially, I think of our Poor Clare Sisters.

Dear Sisters, you may never know all the people who have been helped by your prayers. You may never meet the mother who found courage because you prayed for her. You may never meet the young person who found direction, the marriage that survived a difficult moment, the priest who recovered his strength, or the sinner who returned to God. You may never know their names.

But you don’t need to know who sees the light. You only need to keep it burning. This is what Jesus tells us today:

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

Saint Clare kept that light burning throughout her life. And more than eight hundred years later, we are still walking by its light.

Dear Sisters, dear devotees of Saint Clare: Keep the light burning. Keep praying when nobody sees. Keep loving when nobody applauds. Keep serving when nobody recognizes you. Keep believing even when life becomes dark.

Because somewhere, someone may be passing through a storm. And the little light of your faith may be exactly what that person needs to find the way home.

Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us.”