St. Francis - whose name I share - has always been a hero to me.
When my faith wavered, G. K. Chesterton's biography of
St. Francis was one of the books that saved me.
The focus on Christ, and on the Church, the Bible, and
Tradition.
The order's devotion to Mary.
The gifts of Humility and Poverty.
The first Christmas Crèche.
The Stigmata.
Reaching out to the lepers.
The appreciation of the common man and woman, and of
their spirituality.
Brothers and Sisters throughout all of creation.
The Wolf of Gubbio and the Sermon to the Birds.
The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
St. Francis's meeting with the Sultan of Egypt to seek
peace.
Being a Troubadour for God.
Being a Fool for Christ.
Pax et bonum
2 comments:
It's a funny thing --- well, not funny, but you know how these things are.
I am just beginning the book St. Francis of Assisi by Chesterton. The monthly book club meets the Monday after Easter to discuss it. Later this year, we'll read Chesterton's Saint Thomas Aquinas.
I've still got thoughts of a third order commitment, but other things have distracted me for the moment. But it is still there.
I hope you enjoy the book. It's typical Chesterton - the facts are not always exactly right (he wrote from memory), but the spirit is dead on. He captured St. Francis the way no one else did.
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