Seeing Differently

Seeing Differently
Author: Samuel Double
Publisher: Canterbury Press
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2021-01-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1786223023

This timely book brings together the stories of St Francis – his preaching to birds, rejection of wealth, caring for lepers, befriending animals and living simply, his poetry and hymnody in praise of creation that is still sung today – and the influential writings and examples of inspiring Franciscans who have followed him such as Clare, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus and Angela of Foligno, and draws them into conversation with contemporary concerns for our planet. It gathers 800 years of accumulated wisdom and practical examples of how Franciscans have found ways to live at home and at peace with creation. It explores that long tradition and experience to ask what lessons can be drawn for today to challenge and enable readers to re-visit their own relationship with creation.

Fratelli Tutti

Fratelli Tutti
Author: Pope Francis
Publisher: Orbis Books
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2020-11-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1608338886

Francis of Assisi

Francis of Assisi
Author: Andre Vauchez
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 625
Release: 2012-10-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0300184921

A biography of the saint as both mystic and man: “The single best book about Francis now available in English” (Commonweal). In this towering work, Andre Vauchez draws on the vast body of scholarship on Francis of Assisi, particularly the important research of recent decades, to create a complete and engaging portrait of the saint. He also explores how the memory of Francis was shaped by contemporaries who recollected him in their writings, and completes the book by setting “il Poverello” in the context of his time, bringing to light what was new, surprising, and even astonishing in the life and vision of this man. The first part of the book is a fascinating reconstruction of Francis’s life and work. The second and third parts deal with the texts—hagiographies, chronicles, sermons, personal testimonies, etc.—of writers who recorded aspects of Francis’s life and movement as they remembered them, and used those remembrances to construct a portrait of Francis relevant to their concerns. Finally, Vauchez explores those aspects of Francis’s life, personality, and spiritual vision that were unique to him, including his experience of God, his approach to nature, his understanding and use of Scripture, and his impact on culture as well as culture’s impact on him. “Considered one of the great spiritual leaders of humankind, Francis of Assisi was also a man of many faces and personas: ascetic, the founder of a religious order, a romantic hero, a mystic, a defender of the poor, a promoter of peace. But as Vauchez emphasizes—and this biography constantly reminds us—Francis was also a flesh-and-blood human being . . . A bracing, erudite account of a mystic’s life.” —Booklist

Francis and Clare

Francis and Clare
Author: Saint Francis (of Assisi)
Publisher: Paulist Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1982
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780809124466

Francis (c. 1182-1226) and Clare (c. 1193-1254) together shaped the spirituality of early 13th-century Europe. Here for the first time in English are their complete writings, brought together in one volume.

The Franciscan Saints

The Franciscan Saints
Author: Robert Ellsberg
Publisher: Franciscan Media
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2017-08-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 163253195X

Reading Robert Ellsberg’s profiles of holy men and women is like throwing open a window in a stuffy old church and taking in great gulps of fresh air. Henri Nouwen has described his writing as “evocative without being pious.” He broadens the traditional vision of sanctity and calls modern readers of all stripes to claim their potential for moral and spiritual growth, courage and action. By choosing relevant models and contemporary heroes, he makes holiness accessible and attractive to ordinary people. These 101 spiritual trailblazers span the centuries from Francis and Clare to Solanus Casey and Mychal Judge, with representatives from every walk of life and corner of the world. Each entry features the essential biographical facts and adds the insight and depth only Ellsberg can provide. The author’s sharp eye for signs and stories of holiness in the gritty, messy real world informs his selections, making his work unique. Obscure lay peasants, married activists, and controversial social reformers take pride of place alongside better-known theologians, founders, and canonized saints. The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

Franciscan Virtues Through the Year

Franciscan Virtues Through the Year
Author: Confraternity of Penitents
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2016-04-02
Genre: Theological virtues
ISBN: 9781530146970

Conform your life to the teachings of Jesus by living the virtues taught by Christ and especially embraced by Saint Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Virtues Through the Year: 52 Steps to Conversion from Saint Francis of Assisi explores each virtue with a quote from Scripture, a quote from the writings of Saint Francis, and an incident from the life of Saint Francis. There follows a reflection on the virtue, then meditation and prayer on the virtue, and some delving back into Scripture regarding it. Each virtue calls for reflection on the virtue and practice of it for an entire week. If the reflections and practice are done weekly as suggested, the reader will be spiritually more in tune with God's ways at the end of reading the book than at the beginning. The book is designed to make one aware of the virtues which St. Francis especially loved and to help the reader implement those virtues in his or her life. The virtues discussed are: 1. Attentiveness 2. Confession 3. Courage 4. Courtesy 5. Detachment 6. Discernment 7. Eagerness 8. Empathy 9. Encouragement 10. Eucharistic Reverence 11. Evangelization 12. Example 13. Faith 14. Fraternity 15. Generosity 16. Gratitude 17. Honesty 18. Hope 19. Humility 20. Imitation of Jesus 21. Joy 22. Justice 23. Love of Enemy 24. Love of God 25. Love of Neighbor 26. Love of Self 27. Loyalty to Church 28. Marian Devotion 29. Minority 30. Obedience 31. Pardon 32. Patience 33. Peace 34. Perseverance 35. Poverty 36. Praise 37. Prayer 38. Presence 39. Purity 40. Respect for Creation 41. Sacrifice 42. Self- knowledge 43. Service 44. Silence 45. Simplicity 46. Surrender 47. Trust 48. Vigilance 49. Vulnerability 50. Wisdom 51. Witness 52. Work This book is an excellent formation book for Franciscan friars, nuns, sisters, and laity. The 52 week format can be adapted as the Order wishes. Few books are guaranteed to change a person's spiritual life if the pattern of study in the book is followed. This book will definitely make the reader into a stronger follower of Christ, through the example and teachings of Saint Francis. May God bless you through Saint Francis as you read through, meditate on, and put into practice the Franciscan Virtues!

Following Francis

Following Francis
Author: Susan Pitchford
Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2006-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0819226629

A wonderful resource to guide admirers of the humblest of saints what it means to live out the Christian life with a Franciscan accent. In a little town in Italy, nearly 800 years ago, Francis of Assisi renounced everything he owned to follow Christ with passionate and single-minded abandon. Even today, centuries later, this simple saint draws people around the world to his story of living in humility, love, and joy. Here in Following Francis, Susan Pitchford tells her own story of the Franciscan life, as a member of the Third Order, founded by Francis himself so that people from all walks of life can follow the saint's ideal, without leaving their homes or occupations. Pitchford learned that the Franciscan tradition isn't the exclusive possession of monks cloistered in a monastery, but a spiritual path for ordinary people living in the 21st century.

Franciscan Prayer

Franciscan Prayer
Author: Ilia Delio
Publisher: Franciscan Media
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2022-03-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1616362316

Masterfully written and intensely enlightening, Franciscan Prayer could very well be considered the essential handbook for all those seeking to pray and live the Franciscan way. With exquisite execution, Franciscan theologian Ilia Delio clearly outlines what it means to pray as a Franciscan. Through her experience as a discalced Carmelite nun and then her transformation into Franciscan scholar, Sister Delio brings to light the “contemplative,” “cosmic” and “evangelizing” aspects of Franciscan prayer. Everyone, says Delio, seems to know about Francis’ life, his miracles, his devotion to evangelization and his dedication to living a simple and humble life, yet few know about his prayer life, which seemed, over the centuries, to get lost in the paper shuffle between theologians, followers and historical biographers. It is through Clare of Assisi, Delio asserts, that we have insights into the Franciscan path of prayer. “[Clare] provides the ‘road-map’ of prayer for evangelical life…she was able to do this because she lived under monastic rule while ardently desiring evangelical life.” Through Clare’s letters and actions, we find the rudiments of Franciscan prayer: “Gaze—Consider—Contemplate—Imitate.” Delio also uses the insights of Saint Bonaventure as well as Saint Francis to fully show the meaning and purpose of prayer in the Franciscan tradition.