Saint Francis: Christian Encounters Series || a review

{full disclosure: To comply with federal regulations, I want to state that I received this book in return for my review. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.}

Being a Protestant, especially with much Southern Baptist history, I haven’t learned much about the Saints of church history. I tried to read a collection of St. Francis’ writings a year or two ago but had a hard time getting into and ended up bringing it back to the library without getting very far into it. When I recently was given the chance to read and review a recent biography of St. Francis I jumped at the opportunity.

The book is short, easy to read, explaining much of the history of culture of his day while describing the story of his life. It spends a lot of the book looking at Francis of Assisi during his early years before his conversion and the years right after his conversion. The biographer neutrally describes many of the legends giving neither a aye nor a nay to their validity as history. One of these that I did not know, supposedly St. Francis received (is that the right word?) the stigmata. This apparently was the first recorded case of it within the Church history. He hid the wounds for the last part of his death so it wasn’t until after his death that it became widely known.

Penitence. Poverty. Prayer.

His message was one of penitence and his life was intentionally possessionless and highly focused upon prayer. He worked with the lepers who were exiled from the community and thought of asking for alms as a way to rid the body of pride. The biographer describes the incredible impact that Francis would have upon the people he met, especially those of wealth and power. Many of his earliest followers were men of high rank, power, & wealth; which they left, selling everything to follow Francis of Assisi.

I’m not sure about the miracles, I could just as easily believe in them as not; but nonetheless miracles aside looking the life he lead it is clear why he so quickly was made a saint.