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Rating: 
Summary: Moving, theologically rich account of Francis' last years.
Review:
LeClerc describes St. Francis' struggle with challenges to the original simplicity and poverty of his Order, in a series of deeply moving dialogues and lyric descriptions. This is a beautiful and challenging book, full of the spirit of Francis -- deeply joyful, deeply sorrowful, deeply loving and trusting God. I have read this book a number of times during the past year, and am still finding new insights and matters for meditation each time I pick it up. It's truly excellent -- a masterwork.
Rating:
Summary: Captures the true spirit of Francis
Review: An imaginative retelling of the last years of Francis and the final stage in his spiritual growth. A timely parable about the loss of innocence we all experience as we see our youthful dreams and ideals compromised and twisted by the institutional dynamics of power, money, and bureacracy. Will Francis become bitter, cynical and disillusioned -- or will he break through to an even more profound understanding of what it means to be a witness to the nonviolent Christ?
Rating:
Summary: Captures the true spirit of Francis
Review: An imaginative retelling of the last years of Francis and the final stage in his spiritual growth. A timely parable about the loss of innocence we all experience as we see our youthful dreams and ideals compromised and twisted by the institutional dynamics of power, money, and bureacracy. Will Francis become bitter, cynical and disillusioned -- or will he break through to an even more profound understanding of what it means to be a witness to the nonviolent Christ?
Rating:
Summary: For those who grieve
Review: Toward the end of his life, Francis of Assisi endured what can only be described as a time of great desolation and despair. His physical health was failing; the Order he had founded was moving away from his original ideals of simplicity and poverty; his mission to the Muslims had fizzled out; and several of his oldest and dearest companions had deserted him. It's not unreasonable to suppose that Francis also felt himself deserted by God. This sense of utter abandonment may not fit the hagiographies, but it sure makes psychological sense. Franciscan Eloi Leclerc takes this time of abandonment as his starting place for this elegant and insightful meditation. The book is an imaginative reconstruction, but one that's based on contemporary texts, of the struggles that Francis went through during his years of doubt and despair. Leclerc doesn't offer ready-made solutions or sweetly pious recipes. One of the great merits of this book is that he takes Francis' despair seriously. Ultimately, however, he also takes Francis' breakthrough moment seriously: the moment when Francis has the revelatory realization that, bad as life can get, "Deus est."
I've thought about this simple claim--"God is"--many times since reading this little book. On the surface, it may seem anti-climactic. But as Leclerc presents it, there's a great deal of wisdom in being able to make and live the assertion. It may be that there's more theology embedded in the simple affirmation "Deus est" than in all the world's books.
Rating:
Summary: For those who grieve
Review: Toward the end of his life, Francis of Assisi endured what can only be described as a time of great desolation and despair. His physical health was failing; the Order he had founded was moving away from his original ideals of simplicity and poverty; his mission to the Muslims had fizzled out; and several of his oldest and dearest companions had deserted him. It's not unreasonable to suppose that Francis also felt himself deserted by God. This sense of utter abandonment may not fit the hagiographies, but it sure makes psychological sense. Franciscan Eloi Leclerc takes this time of abandonment as his starting place for this elegant and insightful meditation. The book is an imaginative reconstruction, but one that's based on contemporary texts, of the struggles that Francis went through during his years of doubt and despair. Leclerc doesn't offer ready-made solutions or sweetly pious recipes. One of the great merits of this book is that he takes Francis' despair seriously. Ultimately, however, he also takes Francis' breakthrough moment seriously: the moment when Francis has the revelatory realization that, bad as life can get, "Deus est."
I've thought about this simple claim--"God is"--many times since reading this little book. On the surface, it may seem anti-climactic. But as Leclerc presents it, there's a great deal of wisdom in being able to make and live the assertion. It may be that there's more theology embedded in the simple affirmation "Deus est" than in all the world's books.
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