Customer Reviews

Francis: The Journey and the Dream

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a GREAT resource that everyone should own. Catholic or not, it doesn't matter. This book will inspire you and bring you closer to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Through the words and works of Francis, the reader cannot help but be filled with joy and love for Christ. As a teenager discerning a possible vocation to the priesthood; this book has helped me to see religious life (the Order of Friars Minor to be more specific) in a whole new light, and to look deeper into the life of a Franciscan! I am SO greatful to Murray Bodo for writing this wonderful piece of art that has both inspired me and brought me closer to my Lord. Now as I look at a crucifix, I can see Christ looking back at me, just as he did Saint Francis. If you are curious about the life of Saint Francis, read this book, you won't be disappointed.

I must say that I enjoyed this book very much and so have most of the people I have spoke with. It is a good poetic book with a lot of great insights into the heart and soul of Saint Francis. Bodo has a wonderful way of expressing the poetic heart of Francis through his own poetry. A must read for anyone interested in Saint Francis of Assisi.

I'll have to differ with the ecstatic reviewers before me. This is the wrong book to come to for either a.) a biography of Francis, or b.) a strong narrative line or, even, a cohesive story. Fr. Bodo gives us highly subjective moments from Francis's life, some very beautiful, some funny, all lovingly rendered. Many of his observations do indeed inspire the reader (this reader anyway). What he does not do is meaningfully connect these various moments and bits, most of which are no more than a page or two long, together into a strong story. So we get a very sketchy narrative that works better in individual moments than it does as a whole. The episodes have a sort of chronological unity. They are also continually roped in by the terminology of the subtitle, with lots of talk about Francis's Journey and Dream. But by the end of the book (novel? bio?), these terms have become so ambiguous that they aren't much help.

I think this may be a great book to come to after one has read more concrete and chronological accounts of Francis's life. It's not a good place to begin to get to know him.

This is a great little book. I first read it in 1972. It had just been published. I was a freshman at St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, and Fr. Murray was my English teacher. So it has special significance for me.

I've kept my copy and read it many times over the years. I've carried it with me in visiting Assisi twice.

In my view, Fr. Murray does a great job of expressing the simplicity of Francis' philosophy, the power of his vision and the beauty of his life.

This book is a poem and a prayer. Like all great poetry, it will inspire you. And like all prayer, it will connect you and give you peace.

I purchased this book hoping to learn more about Francis of Assisi, because it was recommended to me by a few people. I was slightly disappointed in its approach. It is more of a meditative poem about Francis of Assisi's life than a concrete portrait of the individual. There are no quotes about Francis from his writing and the book does not highlight important dates or the historical significance of Francis's actions during the time in which he lived. It is almost as if the book was written in a vacuum.

The story is uplifting as a meditative resource. Francis of Assisi began his life as a member of the wealthy nobility, who had an aversion to the poor and the sick. He had a conversion experience while looking at a crucifix at San Damiano, which changed his life. He started a religious order that was revolutionary in its approach to embracing the poor and avoiding the pitfalls of materialism which plagued much of the Church during his life time. In challenging the status quo, he experienced much opposition, which the book does not investigate, but perhaps in doing so it would lose some of its poetic flow that helps it serve as a meditative resource, because it would require an analysis of politics (nasty business in any time period).

Francis of Assisi is the archetypical respecter of all life. He preached peace, when most of his world was engaged in crusades. He preached equity, when people believed that a state of life was largely a birth right. He is known for his great appreciation for all God's creatures, including members of the animal kingdom. His life was not without challenges, and the book gives the impression that at times he did have doubts about God's plan for him, and was subject to loneliness because of his mission. I wish that the book went into greater details about these aspects of his life, but it does provide much food for thought that leads the reader to greater interest in the character of Francis, his values, and Franciscan spirituality.

when some life has passed and you are (even unconsciously) sick of it - then, start here, please --- this book, like the words, "come, follow me" is an invitation. my mother handed me this book fifteen years ago (with a wagging finger of warning - "don't you become like him !") and it has changed my life forever...
there are other books, too - that I read again every couple of years - but this was the first - the stepping stone. it's an 'easy read' - a group of short vignettes that tell of a wonderful beginning. most highly recommended.
thank you, mom.

I first read Maurray Bobo's book back durring the Gulf War when my son was there and in great danger. It brought me to tears. This book was so moving and it so inspired me that I wrote to the author and told hom how much it helped me. I asked him to pray for my son - which he did (My son did make it home after the war). What I remember best is that he took the time to respond back to me with a nice card. So t is the least I can do now is to tell people about the greatness of his book.

This telling of Saint Francis is both readable and enjoyable. He makes Francis come alive and spiritual hug you!

This is the best book on any saint's life that I have read and I have read many. I strongly rememend this book to read. You will find that your life may change! Mine did.

Each of us is somewhat familiar with Saint Francis, his work, his love for his fellowmen and of course his friends, the animals.
When I chose this book I expected it to be something of a work of historical facts blended with myths.
The author indeed gives us many historical facts about the Saint yet he also takes us on a journey or shall I say, Saint Francis's journey, which included not only his struggles but also many heartbreaks.

This 40th anniversary edition written by Father Murray Bodo is very informative but surprisingly also gripping. I found myself many times walking alongside the Saint as Fr. Bodo describes his life as a spoiled rich child and his trials and often agonies in his love for others.

You find yourself drawn to Saint Francis in Fr. Bodo's lines: 'To Francis everything in him and around him was a gift from his Father in Heaven. He expected nothing, so he was grateful for everything. Even a piece of earth was cause for rejoicing, and he thanked God always for everything that was. He held everything to his heart with the enthusiasm of a child surprised by some unexpected joy...Nothing was evil, for everything came from God, and evil came only from a heart that chose not to love.'

From his early days of soldiering to the time Jesus spoke to him through the crucifix, we experience this amazing dream that became Saint Francis's life and the eventual formation of his order of Lesser Brothers.
Here is the story of a little man named Francis who lived and died quietly at age fourty five in Assisi. 'He left behind a Dream to dream and a journey to challenge everyone!'

Beautifully written, this book will inspires you to follow on the footsteps of the Saint and to love and embrace your fellowmen!

I found myself rereading chapter after chapter and find this one a 'keeper'! I give it 5 stars!

I received this book free from The Catholic Company as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not asked to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

This is the 40th anniversary edition of a work that has sold more than 200,000 copies since it was first written by a Franciscan priest experiencing burnout. In the early 1970s, Fr. Murray Bodo was given a break from his duties as high school teacher and spiritual director to develop a short book on Francis, and best of all, he was to write not in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked, but in Francis's hometown of Assisi.

In one of the extra features of the new edition, an interview with the author, Bodo recalls initial misgivings about the project since he was a writer of poetry, not prose. However, the sample chapter he insisted on submitting was just what the editors were looking for: reflections that would introduce Francis to a wider audience.

Bodo gives us a series of scenes from the life of Francis as he faces universal questions about the meaning of life, violence, and treatment of the poor and marginalized, in short, following Gospel values. Along the way we see the versatility of Francis. A child of wealth, knight, a troubadour, beggar, and founder of a religious brotherhood, Francis is best known for his relationship with creation. If Jesus stepped into a river, then all water is forever blessed. When Jesus looked at fields, blessing them with his eyes, all fields and birds became brothers and sisters to Francis because Jesus was his brother, friend, and lord. If God created the sun and moon, they too are our brother and sister.

Francis also personified his body, referring to it after his conversion as Brother Ass. At the time he saw his body as an impediment to his journey to holiness. Later, he changed the name to Brother Body, having recognized his physical being as a temple of the Holy Spirit deserving of special care. Lady Poverty was another of Francis's personifications. In the dream featured in Bodo's title, Francis saw an unforgettable woman. Suffering from loneliness and a desire for close companionship, Francis experienced the dream lady as a symbol of Christ, virtue, courage and everything spiritual. Bodo writes that Lady Poverty stood for gospel paradoxes such as life in death strength in weakness and love in detachment and deprivation.

The anniversary edition of Bodo's timeless work can serve as an introduction to St. Francis or a supplement to any of the classical and recent resources on one of the most popular of all Catholic saints.

I'm a fan of Murray Bodo, ofm, so love the book to begin with. But this book is more than outstanding because Murray BECOMES Francis. It was difficult for me to remember that it was Murray who was writing and not Francis himself. Read this book and you will know and love St. Francis.