The Complete Francis of Assisi: His Life, The Complete Writings, and The Little Flowers

by Jon M. Sweeney (Editor)

Overview

There are many editions of the writings of St. Francis, and biographies about him, but here in one volume are both, plus the complete text of the late medieval work, The Little Flowers, which did more to establish the legend of the man than any other work. This "Paraclete Giants" edition includes the complete Road to Assisi, Paul Sabatier's ground-breaking and foundational biography of the saint, first published in French in 1894 and re-issued and expanded in 2002; the complete Francis in His Own Words: The Essential Writings; and The Little Flowers, thus offering the best introduction to St. Francis yet available between two covers. Other Paraclete Giants include The Complete Julian of Norwich and The Complete Introduction to the Devout Life, both translated and introduced by Fr. John-Julian, OJN.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612616889
Publisher:	Paraclete Press
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Series:	Paraclete Giants
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jon M. Sweeney is an author, husband, and father of four. He has been interviewed on many television programs including CBS Saturday Morning, Fox News, and PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. His popular history The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation was optioned by HBO. He's the author of thirty-five other books, including The Complete Francis of Assisi, When Saint Francis Saved the Church, the winner of an award in history from the Catholic Press Association, and The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started. Sweeney is also the author of The Pope's Cat series for children. He presents often at literary and religious conferences, and churches, writes regularly for America in the US and The Tablet in the UK, and is active on social media (Twitter @jonmsweeney; Facebook jonmsweeney).

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Book 1 The Road to Assisi

The Essential Biography of St. Francis Paul Sabatier Jon M. Sweeney

Introduction 3

The Annotated Life of St. Francis of Assisi

1 His Youth and Family 15

2 Stages of Conversion (Spring 1204-Spring 1206) 21

3 The Church About 1209-Part One 30

4 The Church About 1209-Part Two 37

5 Struggles and Triumph (Spring 1206-February 24, 1209) 46

6 First Year of Apostolate (Spring 1209-Summer 1210) 57

7 St. Francis and Innocent III (Summer 1210) 64

8 Rivo-Torto (1210-1211) 68

9 Portiuncula, Early Companions, and Their Work (1211) 74

10 Brother Francis and Sister Clare 82

11 Francis's Love for All Creatures (Autumn 1212-Summer 1215) 88

12 His Inner Life and Wonder-Working 95

13 The Chapter-General of 1217 and the Influence of Ugolino 101

14 St. Dominic and St. Francis 109

15 The Egyptian Mission: Preaching to the Sultan (Summer 1218-Autumn 1220) 112

16 Crisis in the Order (Autumn 1220) 119

17 Francis's Doubts and Weaknesses 126

18 The Brothers Minor and Learning (1222-1223) 129

19 The Stigmata (1224) 136

20 The Canticle of the Sun (Autumn 1224-Autumn 1225) 143

21 His Last Year (September 1225-End of September 1226) 150

22 Francis's Will and Death (End of September-October 3, 1226) 167

A Few Notes about the Editing of Sabatier 175

Glossary of Terms 177

Summaries of Major Characters 181

Sources/Recommended Reading 185

Index to Book One 191

Book 2 Francis of Assisi In His Own Words: The Essential Writings Translated, Introduced, and Annotated Jon M. Sweeney

Introduction 197

Prayer Before the Icon Crucifix of San Damiano (1206) 205

The First Rule (1209) 206

The First Rule of the Third Order (1210) 223

Praises to the Blessed Virgin Mary (1210-1220) 224

Praises of the Christian Virtues (1210-1220) 225

My First Recommendation to the Faithful (1213) 227

A Rule for Hermitages (1217) 231

Letter to Those Who Rule over People (1220) 232

Letter to a Minister (1221) 234

Letter to Brother Anthony of Padua (1224) 236

Praises to God and The Blessing of Brother Leo (1224-1225) 237

Letter to All the Friars (1225) 240

Canticle of the Creatures (1225) 246

Canticle for the Women of San Damiano (1225) 249

The Testament (1226) 250

Letter to Brother Leo (1226) 254

Prayer for the Conclusion of the Offices (Date Unkown) 255

The Lord's Prayer: Francis's Extended Version (Dare Unkown) 256

For Further Reading 258

Book 3 The Little Flowers of St. Francis Brother Ugolino Introduced, annotated, arranged chronologically, and rendered into contemporary English Jon Al Sweeney

Introduction 263

Part I Stories of St. Francis of Assisi and His Early Companions

1 How St. Francis came to have twelve companions 277

2 The conversion of the first, Brother Bernard 279

3 Brother Masseo tests St. Francis's humility 282

4 How St. Francis made Brother Masseo turn around and around 283

5 St. Francis tests Brother Masseo's humility 285

6 St. Francis praises holy poverty, and lifts Brother Masseo into the air 286

7 Christ appears among them 288

8 St. Francis cares for a man with leprosy 289

9 Brother Rufino is severely tempted by the devil 292

10 Why Brother Rufino has to preach in Assisi in his underwear 295

11 How St. Francis discerned secrets in the hearts of his companions 297

12 Brother Masseo craves the virtue of humility 298

13 Preaching to the birds 300

14 Brother Bernard soars high in contemplation 302

15 The remarkable life of young Brother Simon 303

16 Brother Bernard goes as a holy fool to Bologna 306

17 St. Francis keeps Lent on an island in Perugia 308

18 St. Francis teaches the wolf and people of Gubbio 310

19 The haughtiness of Brother Elias 313

20 St. Francis shows special care for some wild birds 317

21 When St. Francis saw the Portiuncula surrounded by devils 318

22 A rich and noble knight becomes a Franciscan friar 319

23 A general chapter is held at St. Mary of the Angels 321

24 St. Francis takes a ship to see the Sultan 324

25 Brother Bernard's humility 327

26 St. Clare joins St. Francis for a meal, and the sisters are relieved! 329

27 The boy who faints when he sees St. Francis talking with Christ 331

28 The problem in the vineyard of the parish priest of Rieti 333

29 Three murderous robbers become Franciscan friars 335

30 The source of joy, or, St. Francis and Brother Leo walking in the freezing rain 340

31 St. Francis and Brother Leo have trouble praying together 342

32 Two scholars in Bologna become Franciscan friars 344

33 St. Francis interprets a vision of Brother Leo 347

34 How St. Francis knew that Brother Elias would leave the Order 348

35 When St. Anthony preaches to the fish in the sea 350

36 St. Anthony of Padua preaches a sermon that every language can understand 352

37 The beautiful death of St. Francis and Brother Bernard 353

38 How St. Clare blesses bread to be broken at table with the pope 355

39 St. Francis appears in a vision to a friar thinking of leaving the Order 356

40 When the king of France goes in disguise to see Brother Giles 358

41 How St. Clare miraculously travels across the city on Christmas Eve 360

Part II Stories Of Friars From the Province of the Marches

42 When Brother Pacifico saw the soul of his humble brother flying to heaven 363

43 Miracles that God performed through the lives of some of the brothers 365

44 Brother Conrad shows compassion for a troublesome young friar 368

45 The Mother of Christ and John the Evangelist appear to Brother Peter 370

46 The holy life of Brother John of Penna 372

47 How the Blessed Mother appeared to one of the brothers 376

48 When God showed Brother James of Massa true secrets 378

49 Christ appears to Brother John of La Verna 381

50 Brother John of La Verna's saying of Mass frees many souls from purgatory 385

51 The tale of Brother James and Brother John 386

52 When Brother John of La Verna saw how every created thing relates to its Creator 388

53 When Brother John of La Verna fell down while saying Mass 390

Brief Biographical Sketches of the Friars 393

For Further Reading 398

Acknowledgments 400

Editorial Reviews

It’s difficult to think of a saint more widely recognized and beloved than Francis of Assisi (1181–1226 CE). Sweeney (When Saint Francis Saved the Church) has brought together Paul Sabatier’s important 1894 biography of the saint and almost all of Francis’s own writings and prayers including the classic The Little Flowers, an early anthology of anecdotes, teaching tales, and legends about Francis and the first generation of his followers. The author has annotated Sabatier’s work, and the translations and arrangement of the material are also his. VERDICT It is immensely valuable to have in one volume the key writings by and about Francis and his first disciples; essential for libraries and individuals looking to expand their knowledge of this influential saint.” —Library Journal, Starred Review
 
“Francis’s Essential Writings is of the most historical interest to me. Here is Francis in his own words–letters, prayers and monastic rules. These are important documents of the early Franciscan movement. Sweeney’s introductions and comments provide context for each piece of writing. The Little Flowers is well known and well loved. What sets this edition apart from others (other than Sweeney’s translation) is their arrangement. Sweeney places these stories in what he thinks is their most straightforward chronological rendering (rather than the traditional order). Anyone interested in Francis and the movement he founded will love this volume. If you do not have any Francis on your shelf, this is a good deal. I give it five stars.” —James Matichuk, thoughts, prayers & songs
 

“The Complete Francis of Assisi is actually a collection of three books between two covers. Sweeney edited the material of three classic Francis texts and brought them together in one convenient location. The individual titles that constitute this single work on Francis are Road to Assisi, Francis of Assisi in His Own Words: The Essential Writings, and The Little Flowers. This four hundred-page book may seem daunting considering it seeks to introduce a simple and unassuming man of God, but the reader will soon be captivated by the message and transformed in heart. The reader will discover the man Francis, his writings, and his living legacy. Sweeney does an admirable job introducing, annotating, and contemporizing each of the three classic French texts. It should also be noted that this title is part of a new series created by Paraclete Press called Paraclete Giants which specifically gathers the materials that profile the life, deeds, and words of Catholic luminaries in one place. The Complete Francis of Assisi is recommended for all libraries seeking to update some classic texts.” —John Leonard Berg, Catholic Library World

“Saint Francis of Assisi is easily one of the most recognized saints, right up there in popularity and appealing warmth with Santa Claus. The Complete Francis of Assisi seeks to create a loving, inspiring portrait of the man who abandoned his father’s riches to wander the Italian countryside, ministering to lepers and preaching to birds. The book is actually three books in one: a gentle biography, a selection of writings by the saint himself, and a collection of medieval tales meant to popularize his legacy. Readers won’t find anything that drastically changes their perceptions of the lover of Lady Poverty, who nicknamed his own body Brother Ass, and the inclusion of three separate books means that some anecdotes are repeated. But the editor-translator’s clear love for his subject shines through, and the readers are left feeling they have spent some quality time with the man who continues to inspire us to contemplate abandoning our worldly possessions. In the company of a man like Francis, it seems like a good idea.” —Christine Engel, Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2015
It's difficult to think of a saint more widely recognized and beloved than Francis of Assisi (1181–1226 CE). Sweeney (When Saint Francis Saved the Church) has brought together Paul Sabatier's important 1894 biography of the saint and almost all of Francis's own writings and prayers including the classic The Little Flowers, an early anthology of anecdotes, teaching tales, and legends about Francis and the first generation of his followers. The author has annotated Sabatier's work, and the translations and arrangement of the material are also his. VERDICT It is immensely valuable to have in one volume the key writings by and about Francis and his first disciples; essential for libraries and individuals looking to expand their knowledge of this influential saint.

Library Journal