In the past, I would post only book reviews pertinent to worship, music in the local church, or general Christian leadership and discipleship. Recently, I've been studying many more general topics as well, such as history, economics and scientific thought, some of which end up as reviews here as well.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 1:47PM 
Francis and Clare: the Complete Works contains the library of writings from Saint Francis of Assisi and his female protege Saint Clare of Assisi. Francis writings range from his mystical understandings of Christ’s humanity and God’s nature (and their poetic renderings) to his practical Rules, and Testament, which details how life is to be lived by those who followed his way of life in the Order. Clare’s writing, is more terse and compact, and you can see it has synthesized the teachings of Francis to an even more focused agenda than himself. Clare seems to be a more skilled writer, or at least more poignant.
Both Francis and Clare articulate the need to require others, through their writings, to ascend to Christ through and imitation of his life of poverty and suffering. Francis, even in his poetic writing, seems to have a fascination with praise and singing, even in his death. Clare seems to requite the same kinds of things as less than noble for the serious mind set on Christ. He seems raw and lost in his bodily and spiritual union with God, through his physical suffering coupled with his demanding attention to detail that was still always tempered with a joyous tone towards God’s goodness. Clare’s words are more requesting and with an air of entreatment that seems appropriate for nobility. This might perhaps have been because much of her writing was, in fact, directed to nobility in her letters to Agnes of Prague.
This quote from Francis absolutely inspires me:
1. You are holy, Lord, the only God, You do Wonders.
2. You are strong, You are great, You are the most high, You are the almighty King. You, Holy Father, the King of heaven and earth.
3. You are Three and One, Lord God of gods;
You are good, all good, the highest good,
Lord, God, living and true.
4. You are love, charity.
You are wisdom; You are humility; You are patience;
You are beauty; You are meekness; You are security;
You are inner peace; You are joy; You are our hope and joy; You are justice; You are moderation, You are all our riches.
[You are enough for us].
5. You are beauty, You are meekness; You are the protector,
You are our guardian and defender;
You are strength; You are refreshment.
6. You are our hope, You are our faith, You are our charity,
You are all our sweetness,
You are our eternal life:
Great and wonderful, Lord.
God almighty, Merciful Savior[1]
Clare, likewise, is just as enthralling where she says:
2. Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory.3f
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!4
And transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead Itself
through contemplation!5
So that you too may feel what His friends feel
as they taste the hidden sweetness
which God Himself has reserved
from the beginning
for those who love Him..[2]
Saint Francis and Clare are a unique expression of early Middle Ages monastic. In a sense Francis carved out the physical nature of becoming like Christ in body, and Clare confirmed his vision in both practice and across genders. Together they became a template for much of what would follow in mystic thought and practice in the Church for hundreds of years.
Product Link: Francis and Clare: The Complete Works (The Classics of Western Spirituality)
Review by Kim Gentes
[1]Francis of Assisi & Clare of Assisi, “ Francis and Clare: The Complete Works”, (Mahwah, NJ:Paulist Press, 1982), Pg 100
[2]Ibid., Pg 200
assisi, christian, clare, francis, francis of assisi, history, religious, saint, saint francis, st francis, theology in Book Review Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 12:50PM 
Francis of Assisi and His World is a historical biographical book on St. Francis, the founding father of the Franciscan order in the Catholic church. The book covers Francis’ entire lifespan and touches on the continuation of the Order after his death. His life reminds us of Antony, Augustine, Gregory the Great, St. Benedict of Nursia and other heroes of the faith- all having the common strand of being rich in worldly position and goods, but abandoning hope in those to serve and follow God with great passion and impact. To sum up his life would be difficult, but I found five themes in Francis life that are especially resonant in this biography: moments of revelation, moments of contrition, self-disciple, submission to authority and intense personal joy.
What moves me powerfully about Francis is his passion for following the Lord’s direction without hesitation or concern for “balance”. Like Francis, I believe many people (including myself) want to respond without hesitation to God’s voice. But unlike Francis we often convince ourselves (or allow others to convince us) that we must concern ourselves with our future. What Francis did in his life, was completely abandon the thought of taking his life in his own hands. This inspires me. Here was one example in Francis life:
In the midst of his preparations, Francis had a dream. He found himself in his father’s house, which had been transformed into a palace filled with arms. Instead of bales of cloths, he saw saddles, shields and lances. In one room, a beautiful bride waited for her bridegroom. Francis heard a voice saying that all this was for Francis and his knights. When Francis woke, he was ecstatic...[1]
Another thing that impacted me about the biography was Francis’ discipline. Francis ability to master asceticism was not derived from a supernatural gift of sustenance. He had to work at bringing his actions into subjugation of his will. Many of the things Francis did, seemed to come as much from a clear understanding of personal work ethic as it did from a “gift”. And this was a primary thread throughout his Rule, which stipulated such strong adherence that its following could only produce like people. He says:
A little while later, Francis was riding his horse near Assisi (apparently this took place before the rift with his father) when he saw ahead of him a leper standing in the road. He determined immediately to do something sweeping, something dramatic to change his attitude. He dismounted, walked up to the man and personally gave him a coin. But this still was not enough to a man of Francis resolve. So he bent over, drew his lips near the mans decaying hand and kissed it. The man replied by giving Francis a kiss of peace; Francis did not recoil. Then Francis remounted his horse and went on his way.[2]
While it is hard to dislike Francis and his relentless pursuit of God, Francis deep devotion to poverty may have been inordinately self-effacing. Some of his practices and beliefs not only likely led to his early suffering and death, but also brought unnecessary burden on those who followed him with fervor.
Product Link: Francis of Assisi and His World
Review by Kim Gentes
[1]Mark Galli, “Franics and His World”, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), Pg 25
[2]Ibid., Pg 49
assisi, christian, francis, francis of assisi, history, leadership, mark galli, ministry, saint francis, saints, st francis, tradition in Book Review 
