The Threefold Way of Saint Francis (Illumination Books)

Written by the author of the best-selling Francis: The Journey and the Dream, this brief meditation describes Francis' method of prayer. Francis considered this threefold path to God a precondition for anyone wishing to achieve a spiritual interior life. The path has three loves which are really the same: loving God through loving others, through loving nature, and through loving one's self. Focusing on the Other through love is the very center of Franciscan thought. How we love and the extent of that love then teaches us how to pray. Francis is sometimes portrayed as a dreamy romantic, a knight-errant, a troubadour, a poor fool for the poor Christ. The book shows how Francis was also very much a realist and how his three-way path fits practically within day-to-day living. The book shows how embracing others, especially the poor and rejected, is a way of embracing those parts of ourselves we haven't yet accepted; thus we're brought to a new healthier sense of the body and of sexuality. The world is good and holy; this is the Franciscan gift to the world. This slim book offers enriching help for spiritual seekers, for those looking for a more affirming way to pray, for those in need of self-forgiveness and love, and for those working toward social justice. It's also a delight and a treasure for Francis devotees and for anyone who wants to find "the Francis within."