Clare of Assisi

Gentle Warrior, San Damiano Books, Volume 1

By: Wendy Murray

Narrated by: Wendy Murray

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Clare of Assisi is generally known as “the female friend” of Saint Francis of Assisi and for centuries her legacy has remained obscured by his shadow.

Yet Clare’s life and story ought to shine in its own light and on its own terms (her name, after all, means “light”). She is a figure of true heroism, tenacity, beatitude and grit who plotted her improbable course in the context of the raucous and explosive period of the Middle Ages. Much went wrong for Clare after the day when, as a teen, she fled the home of her noble and wealthy family to follow Francis in a life of poverty. No one would have begrudged her if, when the trials had become onerous, she had decided simply to “go home.”

Yet she stayed the course, even after Francis had died. She pulled from the fire of her trials embers that would become her crown. In this new book, Wendy Murray digs deeply into Clare’s decision to abandon rank and wealth for allegiance to Christ (and in no small way, Francis) and explores the circumstances which, later on, tested Clare’s devotion. Clare’s curious and vivid spiritual vision galvanized her ability to persevere amid difficult circumstances and enabled her to stay her course and lay claim to a legacy that shines brightly among the host of medieval saints.

©2020 Wendy Murray (P)2020 Paraclete Press, Inc

A sympathetic and imaginative portrayal of a great Saint

I posted this review on Amazon as well, but will add a note on the narration at the end.

The intended audience for this book seems to be Protestants and “nones;” Murray is engagingly persuasive that the lives of Catholic saints can inspire non-Catholics. She also provides useful background material about St. Clare’s worlds, both the exterior worlds of medieval Assisi and her convent, and the interior world of her spiritual life. Murray is particularly illuminating in chapter 8, “Interior Landscape,” when she delves into the spiritual attractions of poverty, admitting that this is a challenging concept in the 21st century.

However, this contemporary filter sometimes obscures rather than clarifies our picture of St. Clare. For example, Murray imagines that Clare would have expected freedom of movement which 21st century American and European women take for granted. I suspect a woman in the twelfth century would have been more realistic

As in her book about St. Francis, Murray bravely states her own opinions regarding the relationship between St. Claire and St. Francis. I found these less than convincing; nonetheless she cites her sources and is open about what is fact, what is probable, and what is speculation. The reader can choose whether or not to agree with her.

I highly recommend two other offerings which are available on audible: Sr Joan Mueller’s “St. Clare of Assisi; Her Life and Theology” and Br. William Short’s “St. Francis of Assisi: A New Way of Being Christian,” which gives a detailed account of St. Clare’s life. Murray’s book should not be the only book one reads about St. Clare. It is to her credit that after reading, “Clare of Assisi: Gentle Warrior,” one will want to learn more.

Note: The narration is adequate. The narrator is by no means irritating or difficult to listen to and foreign words are pronounced correctly. But it’s not as engaging as it could be. Listen to the sample before you buy