The Writings Of St Francis Of Assisi by St Francis Of Assisi

Paperback:  This short anthology of the writings of St Francis of Assisi includes a wide sampling of his writings.  Of general interest here is the transcendent Canticle of the Sun, a prayer which lucidly describes a universe alive with joy, and praises 'Brother Sun...Sister Moon...Mother Earth'.

To say that the writings of St Francis reflect his personality and his spirit is but another way of saying that they are at once formidably mystic and exquisitely human;  that they combine great elevation of thought with much picturesqueness of expression.

This twofold element, which found its development later on in the prose of mystics like St Bonaventure and in the verse of poets like Jacopone da Todi, and which has ever been a marked characteristic of Franciscan ascetic literature, leads back to the writings of the Founder as to the humble upper waters of a mighty stream.

St Francis had the soul of an ascetic and the heart of a poet.  His unbounded faith had an almost lyric sweetness about it;  his deep sense of the spiritual is often clothed with the character of romance.  This intimate union of the supernatural and the natural is nowhere more strikingly manifested than in the writings of St Francis.

This is a collection of the famous saint's most important writings, a must for any Christian.

The Writings Of St Francis Of Assisi is translated from the Italian or in the dialect of Umbria by Father Pascal Robinson in 1905.

About St Francis of Assisi:  St Francis of Assisi abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christianity after reportedly hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty.  He is the patron saint of animals and the environment. 

Born in Italy circa 1181/2, St Francis of Assisi was renowned for drinking and partying in his youth. After fighting in a battle between Assisi and Perugia, Francis was captured and imprisoned for ransom.  He spent nearly a year in prison awaiting his father's payment and, according to legend, began receiving visions from God.  After his release from prison, Francis heard the voice of Christ, who told him to repair the Christian Church and live a life of poverty.  Consequently, he abandoned his life of luxury and became a devotee of the faith, his reputation spreading all over the Christian world.

Later in life, Francis reportedly received a vision that left him with the stigmata of Christ - marks resembling the wounds Jesus Christ suffered when he was crucified - making Francis the first person to receive such holy wounds.  He was canonized as a saint on 16 July 1228, two years after his demise.  His life and words have had a lasting resonance with millions of followers across the globe.  Each October, many animals the world over are blessed on his feast day.