The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi - Softcover

Ungolino Di Monte Santa Maria

Softcover

ISBN 10: 037570020X ISBN 13: 9780375700200

Publisher: Vintage Spiritual Classic, 1998

Synopsis

With a new Preface by the noted writer Madeleine L'Engle, author of nearly fifty books of fiction and non-fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time. St. Francis of Assisi's ecstatic embrace of a life of poverty revolutionized Christianity even as it transformed the ethics of the West. In this luminous and lively book, St. Francis's followers preserved his legend and those of his first disciples, combining stories of miracles with convincing portraits of men who were no less human for having been touched by God.

"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land.  The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu

About this title

Review:

St. Francis of Assisi--the saint who preached to birds and wolves, the saint whose vow of poverty changed Christian ethics forever, the saint who repented of his fleshly sins by loving the material world--was also a pretty great writer. His Little Flowers, a series of 53 short chapters ranging in form from wild stories to serene meditations, is perfect bedtime or devotional reading. Before you know it, you'll be reading this one aloud to your cat. And Francis will be very pleased to hear it. --Michael Joseph Gross

From the Back Cover:

He is perhaps the most beloved of the Roman Catholic saints: Italian friar SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI (1182-1226), founder of the Franciscans and patron saint of animals and nature. And this is perhaps the most beloved book in Catholic literature: the Little Flowers.

A compilation of the legends and folklorish stories that grew up around the saint after his death, it was not, obviously, written by Francis, though many assume it was; the author is generally believed to have been BROTHER UGOLINO OF MONTEGIORGIO (c. 1210-1274). This edition is a replica of the classic 1906 translation by WILLIAM HEYWOOD (1857-1919).

Here, in this charming work--essential reading for students of religious folklore as well as for seekers after spiritual comfort--read tales of:

* St. Francis's 40-day Lenten fast
* how God appeared to the saint
* Francis's blessing of grapes that produced more wine than ever before
* how the saint tamed wild turtledoves
* how Francis set free a friar who was in sin with a demon
* how the saint caused a rich man to give up his wealth and become a friar
* how Francis tamed a ravenous wolf
* and much more.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage Spiritual Classic
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 037570020X
• ISBN 13: 9780375700200
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 121