The Way of St. Francis: The Challenge of Franciscan Spirituality for Everyone

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Please try again later. When I was directed to the Prayer of St. Francis by a friend, I purchased this book to discover more of the spiritual beliefs that this man lived by. Interwoven into the narrative about the historical aspects of the life of St. Francis of Assisi are the spiritual convictions that led this man away from a life of wealth into a life of service and devotion to God. The chapters are brief, yet they are laden with depth, wisdom and selfless spirituality.

I particularly found the chapters on prayer to be intensely profound, helpful and also practical. This book is not written as a "how to manual" on living a God-centered life. What it does is, it sets St. Francis as a role model, an example of living a spiritual life, and it is up to the reader to discover how to follow through with those examples in their own lives. Intended as an introduction to Franciscan Spirituality, this book is not a biography of the life of St.

Francis, though it does contain elements of his life and short stories and anecdotes that Bodo uses to emphasize the element of spirituality that specific chapters are devoted to covering. The chapters of this book are very short - they make for good devotional reading. This is not a book that should be read cover to cover in a one or two sittings. I suggest taking it a chapter a day and meditating on each element of Franciscan spirituality in order to look for the deeper meaning of what Bodo is trying to convey.

As a whole, I felt that the book started off very strong. The opening chapters are potent with very deep, hard hitting challenges stemming directly from the life of St.

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Francis and the difficulty of trying to follow a Franciscan form of spirituality. As the book went on, however, the content drifted from a meditation on Francis' life to a memoir of what it has meant for Bodo to live as a member of the Franciscan order. The end of the book returned to Francis in a strong way. This is reason I give the book only 3. All things considered, it is a very good book, a worthy read for anyone.

You don't have to be a Franciscan or even a Catholic for that matter to appreciate the kind of spiritual life that Francis was striving for. This is well worth anyone's time to chew on these thoughts and ask, "what does mean for me today? For many reasons I have been drawn to St. Francis and I've been deeply inspired in reading the books as well as the film Francesco that I have read and seen about him.

The Way of St. Francis

Bodo presents Francis as one would present a close friend with whom one is intimately acquainted, and as I have been reading, it seems that there are insights as well as tools with which to embrace Franciscan spirituality in this modern world. I'm not sure that it's a book I can ever say that I have read fully, simply because it is a book to which I will often return; like a devotional reading that one uses in order to be immersed in teaching that is life changing. For anyone interested in knowing more of St. Francis, this is the book. I am now looking forward to Fr. Bodo's other teaching regarding the Franciscan way of life.

Bodo has the ability to speak to one's soul and to the heart of the subject. This book really matters if you want to deepen your thoughts, clarify the way, and to study the practical life of Francis. In learning how to live as a secular Franciscan in today's culture, it is very helpful to have the opportunity to reflect on how to access a daily practice beginning where you are and with your own thoughts and reasons. The journey of reading The Way of St. Francis manages to make it a very personal one simply because while dealing with the pragmatic this book is also a meditation.

Bodo is able to shift the course of one's psyche, such as to allow the spirit to rise and do the listening as one reads. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about his or her life and learning how to love. The Challenge of Franciscan Spirituality for Everyone. This is a wonderful book by Murray Bodo,one of the great Franciscan theologians. I am a Secular Franciscan and I used this book as a lenten journey with our group.

Bodo's simple, yet profound writings are perfect for all ages and fit wherever you are on your spiritual journey. This is my second reading of this book and I would recommend it to everyone. Great product from a reliable seller! One person found this helpful. This is an excellent book for those who are serious about molding their life according to the Franciscan way. The chapters are short and full of contemplation. This book is very thorough, and it requires the reader's complete attention. My only complaint is that the author sometimes wanders in his musings.

During those infrequent times, your patience will be well rewarded.

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Candidates for Franciscan order are given and this is a study aid,the price topic and speed of reception were all a plus for. I recommend amazon frequently to friends for their book needs. See all 27 reviews. Most recent customer reviews.

Published 1 year ago. Published on May 20, Published on September 19, Published on October 3, Published on June 28, Francis communing with birds and other animals, and was familiar to some extent with at least a portion of his work involving brother sun and sister moon. I therefore had developed the impression that he was somehow a middle ages back to nature semi-pantheist.

While Francis did see God manifest in nature — and indeed the cosmos as a whole — he was no flower child of the 13th century; rather he was a man who strove mightily to live the teachings of Jesus, embracing an extremely impoverished lifestyle in order to benefit the lowly and commune with the most outcast of his society. This book makes a good just-before-you-go-to sleep read in pieces book as it involves short chapters on each theme set forth, each of which takes a bit of slow digesting.

This was a nice little book on the life of Saint Francis. Mar 03, Greg rated it it was amazing. Excellent book on the philosophy of St. Francis by a Franciscan scholar. Bodo's work is easy to read, but full of excellent insight.

It's not hard to see how Francis has been misused and misunderstood for centuries, and how far the Catholic church and all Christian churches, really have moved from what St. Francis lived and taught, which is sad, seeing as he is universally acknowledged as the man who lived his life the most in tune with that of Jesus Christ.

As Bodo says in his introduction, J Excellent book on the philosophy of St. As Bodo says in his introduction, Jesus is down there somewhere in the alley, drunk, needing help. But nobody's going to help him these days. Sep 07, Leroy Seat rated it really liked it Shelves: In thirty-five short chapters, an Afterword, and the closing powerful letter to an alcoholic bum, the author, a Franciscan priest, presents not just a spiritual biography of Francis but also his own insightful comments about living the Christian life today.

Here are some of the significant statements in the book: Early in the book, Fr. But Francis is only human like us. What he is, we can become. It is the challenge of his life that seduces.

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We sense that somehow this man found the way, and we are going in the opposite direction" p. Good content, hard to listen to performance. Mar 26, Maggie rated it it was amazing Shelves: Murray Bodo has such a gentle voice which adds to the stillness of his words. Mar 01, Clinton Sites rated it it was amazing. The Publisher's description of the book: I definitely hav The Publisher's description of the book: I definitely have to agree with the first word - Challenges. This is not a book for the faint of heart or faith reader or one who is looking for a quick over-view of St.

Francis and Franciscan spirituality. Very much the opposite - this is a densely packed book of only Only! The book does go through the 'Way' but in intensely personal terms. The author Murray Bodo performs an extraordinary job of relating Franciscan Spirituality and knocks St.

Francis off his pedestal surrounded by animals and brings a more real, down to earth quality to him.

If one is looking for a real context for St. Francis, this is excellent reading. Jul 21, Pam I. Bodo reflects deeply on the Franciscan way of life in 35 short chapters. The reflections challenge the reader to examine his own humanity, his ideas of a spiritual life, and the journey to God alone and in community.

Interesting stories about St. Francis highlight the author's thoughts. Several of the shorter chapters would make excellent meditations for worship, or small group study. I still find myself troubled and seeking, as some concepts made me look at myself and my journey through dif Fr. I still find myself troubled and seeking, as some concepts made me look at myself and my journey through different eyes. Read this book for contemplation, not necessarily for a quick easy read.

In the author's words, "Christian spirituality is simply an attempt to take seriously and live more sincerely the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Franciscan spirituality is no exception. But there is something about Francis himself and the WAY he lives the gospel Never would have chosen this but need to learn about St. Francis for Italian Renaissance.

The Way of St. Francis: The Challenge of Franciscan Spirituality for Everyone - eBook

Francis' life is interesting but the friar got into meditation and visualization exercises. The message is good, be centered and calm, doing good to others but almost felt as though he was worshipping St. Francis at times and not God though he would say he uses St. Francis to draw himself and followers closer to God.

There is a fine line. Enjoyed finding out more about this Saint and details of how he t Never would have chosen this but need to learn about St. Enjoyed finding out more about this Saint and details of how he threw off his well-to-do station in life and devote himself to God, helping the poor, and others to come to Christ. A good look into the life and spiritual journey of Francis.

I would have like to have had more instruction as to how the reader could apply Francis' gleanings to their own life.

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