Wrapped in Joy Franciscan Poor Clare Sisters Share Special Stories

This book was a delight to read. There are many and varied stories of Poor Clares from different monasteries and how they came into the order. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is full of short interesting mini-spiritual biographies interspersed by a well-written and concise synopsis of the life and spirituality of St. Clare of Assisi. When I finished reading this inspiring book I was hungry for more stories and look forward to a volume II!

The subtitle of "Wrapped in Joy" is "Franciscan Poor Clare Sisters Share Special Stories." The personal stories the 91 Poor Clare Nuns tell are down to earth accounts of how each one came to the realization that she indeed was called to give herself to God and to God's people. After all, you cannot have one without the other. For some, God's call came rather quickly and unexpectedly. For others the story of their vocation occurred only over several year's time. Now, it might sound like a scary proposition -to give oneself to God. People wonder how in the world a woman could ever end up in that kind of life. Maybe God was asking a bit too much. The contemplative life seems so different and unusual and so pesonally restricting. But each sister reminds us in her account of how gentle and loving the Lord truly is. God invites, but does not demand. But every sister to attests to exactly the opposite.Every one of them knows they have not been emptied, but filled beyond what they could have imagined. They are happy in their life of prayer, contemplation and intercession and work. Each knows this is the exact place they want to be. The sisters are from the U.S., Canada, England, Korea, and Guatemala; no two backgrounds are alike. Yet, all live the same rule of life in the spirit of St. Clare of Assisi, the 13th century follower of St. Francis of Assisi, and founder of a worldwide Order of over 20,000. Some worked in the professional world -- a teacher, a nurse, or counselor-- when they felt the touch of God. Some of the sisters entered when they were young; others as older women. But in every case, the core of the stories is the mystery of how God moves in the human heart and how that heart recognizes the Lord's voice and responds with "Yes." If you ever wonder whether God is real and how He speaks to the human heart, here are a group of Poor Clare Nuns who happily share their experience of God.