Customer Reviews

The St. Francis Prayer Book: A Guide to Deepen Your Spiritual Life

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This attractive prayer book begins with an introduction and biographical chapter that commends the life and witness of Clare of Assisi before moving into the short daily offices (prayer services). The offices can each be prayed slowly and meditatively in ten to fifteen minutes. There is one separate morning prayer and one evening prayer office for each of seven days, and a quick compline (night prayer) that's the same for each night. Each day includes collects (set prayers) quotations, and Scripture readings that enlarge upon a particular theme in the spiritual life. The St. Francis volume explores these themes: Following Christ / Disregard for possessions / Peace and care in human relationships / Love for all creatures / Preaching the Good News / Passion more important than learning / Joyful simplicity.

What I Like. It's important that a breviary (book of short prayers) be accessible and easy to use. While a paperback, it is well bound and attractively designed. The type is reasonably large and the different sections are easy to read. Finding one's place requires only to know what day of the week it is, and the prayer offices require no flipping back and forth.

What I Don't Like. It is a common poetic device of Franciscans to thank God in all circumstances by offering prayer of praise to Lady Poverty, et al. You know, like Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and all of that. I don't imagine that Francis, Clare, or any of the Order's members suppose there to be an actual heavenly persona named Poverty, whom we would care to address in real terms. I understand the poetic device and find it pleasant. Christian prayer, however, is addressed to the Father, with the Son, through the Holy Spirit (leaving aside the question of intercessions to departed Saints). The Psalms seem to entreat Creation to praise God along with the worshippers, but when I'm teaching beginning disciples to prayer, I don't want to have to go through the trouble of explaining/defending that particular literary device.

Bottom line: The introductory material provides an excellent popular account of this Christian saint and his contributions to the spiritual life of the wider Church. The book itself is easy to use for prayers, aesthetically attractive, and well-priced. If you don't mind the aforementioned literary device, these volumes are an excellent gateway to the practice of regular structured prayer as well as Franciscan Christian spirituality.

I really like this little prayer book. It begins with some information about the life of St. Francis and about the order that he established. It then sets up a weekly liturgy based on thematic elements of Francis' theology. Each day reflects a different theme and the prayers, psalms, and gospel readings are reflective of that theme. I find the prayers to be both spiritual and touching. Using this book, especially for morning prayer, has changed the way that I communicate with God for the better. I am inspired by the collects and by the prayers themselves and truly enjoy the way that times of silence are worked into the liturgy for personal reflection. This is an excellent resource for those interested in experimenting with new approaches to their prayer life.

The book was highly recommended to me and I understand why. It has provided me with a greater understanding and appreciation of Franciscan spirituality. It has enriched my prayer life.

I was looking for a usable Daily Office for the Kindle, for use when time or environment limits the use of the Breviary, so though I was tempted I laid this book aside in favor of a different volume. I took a second look because I have a friend who is about to be professed in the Third Order, and I wanted to check the book out more thoroughly before purchasing it in hardcopy.

I found everything I might have wanted, and more. The Chapters on St. Francis and his prayer life are inspiring, well worth dipping into again and again, and the Daily Prayers turn out to contain a wealth of memorable material, prayers and thoughts which lodge in the mind and feed ones spirit in all kinds of situations. I have been around a long time, delving into 'books like this one', but I am finding this always fresh, always illuminating, comfortable in some ways, and dis-comforting in others. One is not always inclined to see ones faults and complacencies even in the light of a Great Saint who saw his own frailties very clearly indeed.

I shall be buying The St. Francis Prayer Book: A Guide to Deepen Your Spiritual Lifein hard copy for my friend, the Kindle Version comes with me where-ever I go. I have a feeling that this Second Glance will last me a lifetime. I shall probably annoy my younger relatives and friends by buying them copies on every possible occasion.
A most worthwhile purchase.

In recent years, I have experimented with fixed hour prayer. I have also had a long-term interest in St. Francis' spirituality, especially his ability to combine depth in spirituality with a compassionately activist faith. For this reason, when I saw The St. Francis Prayer Book I snapped it up as quickly as possible.

Once I recieved The St. Francis Prayer Book, I was impressed. The first thing I noticed is how the book was organized. The book is divided into four very helpful sections. The first section presents a summary of the nature of St. Francis' prayer life. The second section presents the "St. Francis office". It includes morning prayers and evening prayers for one week. This section of the book does not necessarily include a lot of the words of St. Francis. Instead, it contains Scriptures and prayers inspired by St. Francis' sprituality what we know of the form and content of his prayer life. The next section shares occassional prayers that are attributed to St. Francis himself. Then there are some very helpful appendices to further model one's prayer and spirituality after St. Francis.

I have read several books on Francis of Assisi. Jon Sweeney gave me new insights in his brief summary of Francis' prayer life. I was really impressed by the introduction with this book. If you buy the book you must read it. It sets the stage for everything that follows.

I thought the actual "St. Francis office" was very helpful and well done. It was laid out in a way that seemed to both provoke me to mediation on the Lord and prayer to him. It mixes Scriptural and historical prayer resources well. And, as a Protestant, it was nice not having to work through a lot of veneration of Mary in a prayer book published by a Catholic publisher.

I also the other parts of the book helpful. The occassional prayers, while I have similar resources elsewhere, I felt was well laid out. Also, the appendices were also intriguing to read and think about.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in either fixed hour prayer, or St. Francis of Assisi's spirituality.

This book is a wonderful companion copy to the St. Clare Prayer book by the same author. If you love to pray with Francis of Assisi or want to know more about his spirituality, this book would be a good one to have.

THE ST. FRANCIS PRAYER BOOK is an answer to the trivializing of this holy man. Instead of focusing on the sermons to the birds and talking to the animals, Sweeney brings into our lives the deep spirituality of the man who turned the church around in the twelfth century. By following the devotions and prayers, we may learn to grow closer to God.

I was dissappointed to find that the last 30 pages were missing from the book. I will not be ordering from this vendor again.