Meeting an unexpected archer in Clare of Assisi

I have been a trained archer for about five years. Over the years, I have grown in confidence, not only in the techniques of shooting, but also in taking the fundamental movements of every archer: taking one’s stance at the shooting line, drawing the bow, focusing on the target, and releasing the arrow.

Clare of Assisi was no archer. Unlike Princess Merida in the Disney movie Brave, she never held a bow or shot an arrow. Yet, unexpectedly, Clare has become an archer for me. Through her spirituality, she has woven together my practice of archery and my Franciscan spirituality. Now this sport has become prayer moments, engaging my entire being in an encounter with God. Isn’t this what Franciscan Prayer is – an echoing of Francis’ “My God and my All”?

The heart of Clare’s spirituality is her Mirror Spirituality, formed through her daily contemplation before the Crucifix of San Damiano. Gazing upon the Crucified Christ, she examined her disposition, fixed her eyes on him, and surrendered herself more deeply into the mystery of God. She emerged challenged to move from good to better. Clare described this interior journey in her Second Letter to Agnes of Prague: “Look upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him”.

I cannot help but see these four movements in the rhythm of archery. LOOK: my position and posture at the shooting line, nocking my arrow, and fixing my eyes on the target. CONSIDER: I raise my bow, consider the distance, my grip, my breathing, and my anchor point. CONTEMPLATE: I become fully present in my breathing and focus on the target. IMITATE: I trust my intuition and release the arrow with a follow through, and finally I take stock of the outcome with humility, always seeking to be better.

This unexpected meeting with Clare has transformed every archery practice into prayer. LOOK: Lord, let my stance before you be true and steadfast. CONSIDER: Bridge the distance between me and you, Lord, with this arrow. CONTEMPLATE: Let me find my mark in you, Lord, even if it is not in the centre. IMITATE: Wherever I land in you, Lord, be ever a message of strength and joy to me. Amen.

Friar Michael Goh OFM