Jon M. Sweeney - The Complete Francis of Assisi: His Life, The Complete Writings, and The Little Flowers

THE COMPLETE FRANCIS OF ASSISI

PARACLETE

GIANTS

ABOUT THIS SERIES:

Each Paraclete Giant presents collected works of one of Christianitys greatest writersgiants of the faith. These essential volumes share the pivotal teachings of leading Christian figures throughout history with todays theological students and all people seeking spiritual wisdom.

The Complete Paraclete Giant Series...

THE COMPLETE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING

THE COMPLETE FNELON

THE COMPLETE IMITATION OF CHRIST

THE COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO THE DEVOUT LIFE

THE COMPLETE JULIAN OF NORWICH

THE COMPLETE THRSE OF LISIEUX

THE COMPLETE MADAME GUYON

THE COMPLETE FRANCIS OF ASSISI

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The COMPLETE

His Life, The Complete Writings, and The Little Flowers

Edited, Translated, and Introduced by Jon M. Sweeney

PARACLETE PRESS BREWSTER, MASSACHUSETTS

2015 First printing

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

Copyright 2015 by Jon M. Sweeney

ISBN 978-1-61261-688-9

Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural references used by the editor are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NAB) are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The photographs on pages 1, 195, and 261 are courtesy of April Love-Fordham.

The Paraclete Press name and logo (dove on cross) are trademarks of Paraclete Press, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The complete Francis of Assisi : his life, the complete writings, and The little flowers / edited by Jon M. Sweeney.

3 volumes in 1 cm. (Paraclete giants)

Contents: book one. The road to Assisi : the essential biography of St. Francis / Paul Sabatier ; edited with introduction and annotations by Jon M. Sweeneybook two. Francis of Assisi : the essential writings (in his own words) / translated, introduced, and annotated by Jon M. Sweeneybook three. The Little flowers of St. Francis / [ascribed to] Brother Ugolino ; introduced, annotated, arranged chronologically, and rendered into contemporary English by Jon M. Sweeney.

ISBN 978-1-61261-688-9 (paperback)

1. Francis, of Assisi, Saint, 11821226. 2. Christian saintsItalyBiography. 3. Francis, of Assisi, Saint, 11821226Legends. I. Sweeney, Jon M., 1967 editor, translator, annotator. II. Ugolino, di Monte Santa Maria. III. Sabatier, Paul, 18581928. Road to Assisi. IV. Francis, of Assisi, Saint, 11821226. Works. Selections. English. V. Fioretti di San Francesco. English.

BX4700.F6C632 2015

271'.302dc23

[B]

2015013457

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press

Brewster, Massachusetts

www.paracletepress.com

Printed in the United States of America

To my children, Clelia, Joe, and Sima;

And to two professors, now gone, whom I loved:

Arthur F. Holmes and Paul L. Holmer

BOOK ONE:
The Road to Assisi
The Essential Biography of St. Francis
Paul Sabatier
Edited with Introduction and Annotations by Jon M. Sweeney

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

Prayer for the Conclusion of the Offices
(DATE UNKNOWN)

The Lords Prayer: Franciss Extended Version
(DATE UNKNOWN)

BOOK THREE:
The Little Flowers of St. Francis
Brother Ugolino
Introduced, annotated, arranged chronologically, and rendered into contemporary English by Jon M. Sweeney

In many ways, Francis of Assisi is easy to understand. The late medieval milieu notwithstanding, Franciss slow, awkward conversion, wrought with familial conflict of Shakespearean proportions, and his subsequent passion for living life with true Gospel simplicity, appeals to people of every era. We dont need much interpretation or explanation in order to quickly grasp the man and the message.

He surely seemed to be a man after Gods own heart, as his friend Pope Gregory IX put it in his bull of canonization nearly eight hundred years ago. Gregory went on to say that Francis was raised up at the eleventh hourin other words, as the end of the day was nearingto say something vital and critical to all of us with his life and work.

So, then, why would anyone require a book this fat to explain a man and a saint who seems to require no lengthy explanations? The simple answer: this collection is, most of all, for those who already love St. Francis and want to be in his company.

The three books combined here into one relay the man in the details of his biography, the concerns of his own personal writings, and the stories and legends attached to him in the early days of the Franciscan movement, and they point to his personality and spirit. On each of these four hundred plus pages, you will probably, over and over, remember what drew you to Francis in the first place.

Which is to say that this fat book is also ideal for someone new to the worlds most popular saint. There is probably no better introduction to his life and spirit than through what you will discover in these pages. The biography by Paul Sabatier is the clearest one ever written, and the notes added in the margins elucidate some details that have come to light since the French scholar did his research a little more than a century ago. Then come the writings of the saint himselfand too often readers forget that Francis of Assisi wrote an innovative Rule for life, letters to friends, and other fascinating occasional writings including the Canticle of the Creatures, the first poem penned in vernacular Italian and a daring, ahead-of-his-time interpretation of the world of creatures as part of Gods kingdom. As for The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, it has had no shortage of readers over the centuries. This beautiful book has probably been introduced to more people in history than any other except for the Bible and The Imitation of Christ, and the edition here, unlike many others, organizes the stories in chronological order. With all of this, if you dont fall in love with the life of the little poor man from Assisi by the time you are done, perhaps you should have your heart checked! 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 6:21, Psalm 34:18.

Jon M. Sweeney

March 2, 2015

Feast of St. Agnes of Prague