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The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi

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Living in an age of weights, measures, logic and reason, a pragmatist may see little reason in reading The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi. However, recent terrorist attacks draws me and--most likely-many of us away from the methodical.

Vintage Spiritual Classics provides us with a preface and introduction of Francis Bernardone, showing us why he needed to become so close to God. They, the preface and introduction, explain this need on a level we may all understand. St. Francis wanted ecstasy and a life not burdened with want, greed, lust and avarice.

Each snippet throughout the body of the book provides a theme, an adventure and a moral that will pull the reader from this world to St. Francis's. Teaching us temperance, piety, and selfless rewards for good deeds and prayer.

I am hopeful that this book and others provided by Vintage will help provide solace and peace to those affected by the recent, tragic events.

St. Francis has to be the greatest saint who ever lived. This book is so inspiring, that I can't describe it. It tells of St. Francis in his youth and how he spent time in prison and became disillusioned with the world. He then gave up the world and followed God. The book tells of the many adventures of St. Francis and his monks. Some are serious, but some are very funny. Anyone, who is thinking about what life is all about and how one man had the courage to follow God and not the world, should read this book.

One doesn't have to be Catholic to enjoy these amusing tales about the life of St. Francis, collected by a slightly later church writer. It's no wonder this gentle soul is among the most beloved figures in Christianity.

One could easily fill a bookshelf with the number of volumes that have been written about the "Little Poor Man of Assisi" over the past seven hundred years, but none has been more widely read or more influential than the Fioretti, better known to English readers as The Little Flowers of St. Francis. This spiritual classic was not written by Francis himself, but by Brother Ugolino, an Italian Franciscan who lived a full century after the death of St. Francis in 1226. It is not so much a biography, but a collection of stories and sayings passed on by the first and second generations of Francis' early followers, in a manner similar to The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. As such, the author is not concerned so much with providing an historical record of the birth of Franciscan spirituality, but with painting a personal profile of this fascinating friar and the most formative experiences that helped to shape the lives of those who followed in his footsteps. This may help to explain why much of the material found in The Little Flowers has become "legendary," and it is left to the reader to decide how many of the events described are fact and how many are fiction.

But it is not the spectacular and/or legendary aspects of St. Francis' life that grab the headlines in this spiritual classic. It is the genuinely humble, Christ-like character of this "little poor man" that stands out most of all. More than anything, and more than most, Francis loved Jesus. So much so, according to those who knew him best, that he was given a special mark of his intimate identification with Christ - the "stigmata" (five wounds of Christ on the cross). Regardless of how closely his outward appearance resembled that of Christ, it is clear that his heart was one with the Savior, as illustrated in the following message which Francis delivered at St. Mary of the Angels in 1215 in the presence of five thousand friars, including St. Dominic and Cardinal Hugolin, who would later become better known as Pope Gregory IX:

"My little sons, we have promised great things, but far greater things have been promised to us by God. Let us keep those promises which we have made, and let us aspire with confidence to those things which have been promised to us. Brief is the world's pleasure, but the punishment that follows it lasts forever. Small is the suffering of this life, but the glory of the next life is infinite."

May the life and testimony of this "Little Poor Man" of Assisi inspire each of us to follow his imperfect yet faithful example, even as he has sought to follow the perfect example of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1).

This is a wonderful book but this particular edition is printed in such small type that I can barely read it. I would have returned it but the book is so compelling that I'm reading despite the struggle.

Certainly I Fioretti Di San Francesco are well known and well beloved to all cradle Catholics of over a half century like myself. Why then get another copy?

My eyes are old, and yet I still like to sit out in the desert garden here well after sunset and read. Even in the powerful desert sun of mid-day I have to remove my sunglasses and strain at normal type.

Thank God for this book, which restores these beloved and familiar fables to my sight.

We have much to learn here of course. This large print edition begins with the possibly apocryphal but ever welcome Prayer Lord, Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace: Br. Norbert Sings Communion Songs From St. Joseph's Abbey, and too swiftly passes to the several little flowers. Too swiftly I say because there is no Table of Contents to assist scholars, saints and us sinners searching for a particular tale. And so I must mark with a Post-it Flower-Shaped Pop-Up Notes, 3 x 3 Inches, 5 Colors, 75 Sheets per Pad (4 Pads per Pack) (R333-FLW) the wolf of Gubbio, for instance, of special interest, or the tale of the Turtle-doves, or of the several members of the early community.

I only wish, coming from the Benedicitne tradition, that Storia Della Badia di Montecassino, Volume I (Italian Edition) also came in large print, or even Life and Miracles of St. Benedict (Book Two of the Dialogues).

But I am very grateful now lost behind these ancient eyes for this wonderful Peter Pauper Large Print edition of these, the famous Fioretti of Saint Francis.

Please also see especially Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy and also Roberto Rossilini's The Flowers of St. Francis ~ presented by Federico Fellini (Original theatrical release) [Import, All-Region] (Dvd).

I feel inspired by the depth of spiritual experience of St. Francis and his friars. Whenever I pick up this book and begin reading I feel transported into a realm where God's love is so real and palpable. The 13th century language at first seemed awkward to follow, however, once I felt the spirit of the stories the language barrier disappeared

Few works have made as strong an impact on my spiritual life as this book. A wonderful compilation of faith building and humbling stories from the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi and his first followers.

I really liked this book, I have waited for years to read this book
again.And I was very pleased.
Thanks Monica C coleman

The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi was NOT written by St Francis but about St Francis. The book was written supposedly by Brother Ugolino. Think about it. Would he have titled the book The Little Flowers of St. Francis? No. He would have called it simply the Little Flowers. Add that to the fact that it was written about 100 years after his death and you see it would be impossible for him to have written it. Don't believe me, then do a search on the internet or a little research at your public library. It has some nice stories that are very uplifting but it tends to lean more toward legend than fact. I would have much more desired a book written by St Francis since he was the last person that would embellish on the truth.