The Prayer of Saint Francis: A Message of Peace for the World Today

Rating:
Summary: Insightful, but on the run
Review: Boff's little meditation on peace, inspired by the so-called Francis prayer, is exquisite in places. But it's also rather breathless, running from one line to the next in the prayer without taking time to chew well on any of them. The opening chapters, to Boff's credit, try to explore the meaning and causes of peace a bit more thoroughly, but the rest of the book travels way too quickly. To give Boff his due, the book is intended as a devotional rather than a theological treatise, so one expects a certain amount of sketchiness. But still, the book raises too many questions that cry out for discussion. One quick example: on pp. 25-29, Boff writes about Girard on mimetic violence, intending this as one explanation for why peace is so tenuous. But the transition in his account from literal scapegoating to legal scapegoating is so abrupt that no one who hasn't read Girard could possibly follow it.

Having said this, it's also the case that Boff's book shows real insight in places. His claim that peace begins with a re-connection with God is both Franciscan and on target, and his reformulation of peace as an "order-action" is also a creative and fascinating contribution. He briefly mentions the "diabolic"/"symbolic" distinction he's made in other works, and it's helpful here as well (although, again, a reader unfamiliar with it may not quite follow what Boff's up to).

Rating:
Summary: Insightful, but on the run
Review: Boff's little meditation on peace, inspired by the so-called Francis prayer, is exquisite in places. But it's also rather breathless, running from one line to the next in the prayer without taking time to chew well on any of them. The opening chapters, to Boff's credit, try to explore the meaning and causes of peace a bit more thoroughly, but the rest of the book travels way too quickly. To give Boff his due, the book is intended as a devotional rather than a theological treatise, so one expects a certain amount of sketchiness. But still, the book raises too many questions that cry out for discussion. One quick example: on pp. 25-29, Boff writes about Girard on mimetic violence, intending this as one explanation for why peace is so tenuous. But the transition in his account from literal scapegoating to legal scapegoating is so abrupt that no one who hasn't read Girard could possibly follow it.

Having said this, it's also the case that Boff's book shows real insight in places. His claim that peace begins with a re-connection with God is both Franciscan and on target, and his reformulation of peace as an "order-action" is also a creative and fascinating contribution. He briefly mentions the "diabolic"/"symbolic" distinction he's made in other works, and it's helpful here as well (although, again, a reader unfamiliar with it may not quite follow what Boff's up to).

Rating:
Summary: A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Review: Boff's The Prayer of St Francis is truly, as its subtitle suggests, A Message of Peace for the World Today. He enthusiastically sounds the message, line by line, as a call to action. Each sentence bursts with energy and presents a challenge for us to live not only for ourselves but in communion, in solidarity with one another. Boff has reformulated Franciscan ideals into a twenty-first century context. He challenges world order, global economics, consumerism, and wasteful productivity. If I didn't know who wrote this book, I would suspect a consortum that would include Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Peter Mathiessen, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, and Ralph Nader.

Two additional lines appear in this Prayer for Peace: "where there is discord, union" and "where there is error, truth". They do not appear in the traditional prayer, but belong there along with Boff's good counsel. This ecumenical message should be read by every political and religious leader and even those of us who lack the motivation to make a difference in our world. Boff's commentary enlightens and inspires us to be instruments of peace.

Rating:
Summary: A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Review: Boff's The Prayer of St Francis is truly, as its subtitle suggests, A Message of Peace for the World Today. He enthusiastically sounds the message, line by line, as a call to action. Each sentence bursts with energy and presents a challenge for us to live not only for ourselves but in communion, in solidarity with one another. Boff has reformulated Franciscan ideals into a twenty-first century context. He challenges world order, global economics, consumerism, and wasteful productivity. If I didn't know who wrote this book, I would suspect a consortum that would include Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Peter Mathiessen, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, and Ralph Nader.

Two additional lines appear in this Prayer for Peace: "where there is discord, union" and "where there is error, truth". They do not appear in the traditional prayer, but belong there along with Boff's good counsel. This ecumenical message should be read by every political and religious leader and even those of us who lack the motivation to make a difference in our world. Boff's commentary enlightens and inspires us to be instruments of peace.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful from start to finish
Review: The author holds the payer in the most radient light possible. This message, while written long ago, still holds true today. And the author gives us that message in today's terms. Very well written, have read it twice.