In this classic, Felix Timmermans reveals a deep understanding and penetrating interpretation of the man Francis and the ideals that enabled him to move and to shake the whole world. Filled with humor, pathos and a strange kind of beauty, it is a combination of artistry, poetry and simplicity that plumbs the soul of Saint Francis. Here is the whole Francis, the poet, the ascetic, the stigmatist, the servant of the poor and the lepers, the miracle worker. But above all, here is the spirit of St. Francis "told as lyrically and simply as the hymns and words of Francis himself in a book that communicates the joy of St. Francis."

Christians regard St. Francis of Assisi as the most joyful of saints, and Francis himself valued joy as an essential for holiness and Christian living. In this book of readings and reflections, the author presents thirty excerpts on joy from the writings of St. Francis and offers readers insightful and inspiring commentaries on the passages.

Tells the story of the man who became one of the most famous saints in the world, from his fun-loving youth through his career as a soldier to the years he spent serving God.

Through the Year with Francis of Assisi contains 365 selections drawn from the sayings and writings of Francis as well as from stories about him. These excerpts constitute a personal "day book" for year-round reflection.

For everyone who has been touched by the story of St. Francis, this book will deepen that understanding and provide a new perspective on his enduring legacy. Retelling his story, along with social and theological reflections for today, the authors--both Catholic and Protestant--present a new picture of the ever-popular saint. Francis' way speaks loudly to those who long to do something about inequality and poverty, about consumerism and spiritual emptiness. For this revised edition, the authors have taken special inspiration from the example and witness of Pope Francis, who has demonstrated the enduring challenge of St. Francis--especially in responding to poverty, the cause of peace, interreligious dialogue, and the urgent challenge of ecology. (Back cover).

In "St. Francis and the Cross, each of the authors provides two reflections on key texts and events from the life of the saint. Cantalamessa mediates on Francis' "Canticle of Creation" and his "Testament," calling us to allow the beauty of creation to draw us to Christ and open us to love. Martini considers how the folly of the cross brings us to wisdom and to perfect joy. This is an ideal book to use during prayer times or on retreat.

Francis of Assisi is pre-eminently the saint of the Middle Ages. Owing nothing to church or school he was truly theodidact, and if he perhaps did not perceive the revolutionary bearing of his preaching, he at least always refused to be ordained priest. He divined the superiority of the spiritual priesthood. Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d'Assisi), born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, informally named as Francesco (1181/1182 - 3 October 1226), was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. Pope Gregory IX canonized Francis on 16 July 1228. Along with Saint Catherine of Siena, he was designated Patron saint of Italy. He later became associated with patronage of animals and the natural environment, and it became customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October. He is often remembered as the patron saint of animals. In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan to put an end to the conflict of the Crusades.[6] By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the Order. Once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. Francis is also known for his love of the Eucharist.[7] In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas live nativity scene.[8][9][2] According to Christian tradition, in 1224 he received the stigmata during the apparition of Seraphic angels in a religious ecstasy [10] making him the first recorded person in Christian history to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion.[11] He died during the evening hours of 3 October 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 142.

This book contains thirty reflections about living joyfully, based on St. Francis' own life and writings.--Publisher's description.

If you were able to talk to St. Francis of Assisi, what would you ask him? “Perhaps,” says James Howell,” the first question I’d want to ask Francis would be something like this: How did you do it? Were you real? How much of your story really happened? And I’m asking because I am wondering how I might do it: could I somehow grab a share of the life you had? The marvel in Francis’s story is that all he did seems entirely doable – but then, at the same time, ridiculously impossible. As I survey the bare facts of his life, it all seems so manageably simple, and yet unquestionably what happened was nothing short of miraculous.” In this spiritually apt look at the life, message, and meaning of St. Francis, Howell invites all of us to pose our most difficult spiritual questions to the saint–and to listen for the questions he asks of us in response.