Before television, livestreams, and social media allowed us to attend Mass even from the comfort of our homes, there was already a saint who, because of her burning love for the Eucharist, was granted a vision of the Holy Mass while confined to her infirmary.
In the rolling hills of medieval Assisi, Italy, a young woman from a wealthy noble family chose to leave behind privilege, comfort, and the life that society had prepared for her. Inspired by the life and preaching of St. Francis of Assisi, Clare gave herself completely to Christ and embraced a life of radical poverty, prayer, and simplicity.
At eighteen, she fled her home and met Francis at the Portiuncula. There, she exchanged her rich garments for a simple habit, had her hair cut, and consecrated herself to God. She was eventually joined by her sister Agnes and other women who desired to follow the same path. Together, they lived at San Damiano, where Clare would serve as their abbess for more than forty years.
The life she chose was not an easy one. The sisters lived without possessions, depending on the generosity of others for their daily needs. Yet Clare remained firm in her conviction that Christ alone was enough. Her life became a testimony that true richness is not found in what we possess, but in the One whom we possess in faith.
Among the many stories surrounding her life is her extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist. During an invasion of Assisi, when the sisters of San Damiano were threatened, the frail and sick Clare took the Blessed Sacrament and prayed for the protection of her sisters. According to tradition, the attackers were mysteriously frightened and retreated.
But perhaps one of the most beautiful stories of Clare’s Eucharistic love happened when she herself could no longer go to Mass.
On Christmas Eve, Clare was seriously ill and confined to her cell. While her sisters went to celebrate the Holy Mass, she remained behind, unable to join them. Yet her heart longed to be there. She longed to be with Christ.
And so, according to tradition, the Lord consoled His beloved daughter by allowing her to see the celebration of the Holy Mass miraculously displayed upon the wall of her room.
Imagine that—a woman too weak to walk to the church, yet whose love for Christ was so deep that heaven seemed to bring the Mass to her.
Today, we can easily watch a livestream, tune in through television, or follow the celebration of the Mass through social media. These are beautiful ways of remaining connected when circumstances prevent us from being physically present. But the story of St. Clare reminds us of something deeper: The Mass is not merely something we watch. It is Someone we long to encounter.
Her life teaches us to hunger for the Eucharist, to treasure the Holy Mass, and to recognize the profound gift of being able to come before Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
It is because of this tradition of her miraculous vision of the Mass that St. Clare of Assisi is honored as the patron saint of television.
May St. Clare teach us to love the Mass not simply because we can attend it, but because our hearts cannot bear to be far from Christ.
St. Clare of Assisi, pray for us.