A Vision Book about St. Francis and St. Clare, the two very popular saints of Assisi. Helen Homan has captured all the excitement and beauty of the lives of these saints from their childhood growing up together in Assisi to their profound conversion and lifelong influence�indeed centuries-long influence�on the whole world through their radical living of the Gospel and founding of two great religious orders, the Franciscans and the Poor Clares. Combining the stories of Francis and Clare in one volume makes for a book that will be of great interest to both boys and girls of a wide age span. Illustrated. Cover art by Chris Pelicano This book is now part of Renaissance Learning's Accelerated Reader program. Quizzes are currently available.
Francis (c. 1182-1226) and Clare (c. 1193-1254) together shaped the spirituality of early 13th-century Europe. Here for the first time in English are their complete writings, brought together in one volume.
When the adolescent Lady Clare agreed to secretly meet Francis Bernadone, the eccentric merchant's son who had become a wandering preacher, she was desperate to avoid the marriage that her parents were arranging for her. Francis, having gathered more than a dozen male followers, believed Clare to be the one to lead the female half of his movement, a movement that was loyal to the church but inspired by heretical sects where women played a prominent part. He promised a future in which she would preach and serve the lepers of Assisi. Clare and her kinswoman escaped their family under cover of night and began to live the life that Francis had envisioned. They continued until one particular cardinal, a future pope, took notice.'Francis and Clare: The Struggles of the Saints of Assisi' reveals that Francis's neglect of Clare in the face of church opposition was his greatest shame. Clare, fighting to avoid being locked into a cloister, used the fame she derived from their association as her only cudgel in her decades-long battle with the papacy for control of her community. Set largely in thirteenth century Rome and Assisi, Francis and Clare: The Struggles of the Saints of Assisi is the story of individual genius versus societal controls. Replete with holy, wily, and sometimes comical characters, it is set against the emergence of the flawed, bureaucratic Roman Catholic Church that is coming into ever-clearer focus today. In this day when many feel betrayed by their religion, Francis and Clare: The Struggles of the Saints of Assisi offers new reasons to admire them both. It shows that while Francis did not reform the church, he transformed lives by extolling the glory of God. Clare was not passive. Her strength of character and her resistance can encourage others to persevere despite overwhelming odds. Kathleen Brady's double portrait reveals that the story of one cannot be truly told without the other. In it readers will find new reasons to admire the saints of Assisi and new justification to find their story poignant and inspiring.
"Clare is a wealthy noblewoman with a handsome fiancé, but all she wants is to belong totally to Jesus. Her friend Francis preaches about giving up everything to follow Jesus, but Clare's father wants her get married and stop causing trouble. Will Clare risk everything to follow Christ, or will she give in to her family's wishes?"--Back cover.
This beautiful collection of works from two of the most beloved religious figures of all time gathers the letters and writings of both Francis and Clare of Assisi in a poignant presentation of the power of faith and simplicity that speaks powerfully to us in our hectic world. Francis of Assisi is a widely celebrated saint, well-known for his love of nature and his remarkable life of poverty. Clare is the woman who lived out his legacy in Assisi after his death, passing on his vision and his cause. Together they shaped the spirituality of early thirteenth-century Europe. Both born to noble families, they ultimately rejected their wealth and founded religious orders known for fostering humility, generosity, and devout faith, where communities of like-minded persons could live out a radical commitment to the gospel message of poverty. In the process Francis and Clare left a spiritual heritage that has captured the imagination of both believers and nonbelievers throughout the ages.
The author's exploration of the spirituality of place makes even the armchair pilgrim understand the meaning of such locales as the streets of Assisi, Rocca Maggiore, San Damiano, La Verna, Greccio, and more.
"Clare is shown as a figure of true heroism, tenacity, beatitude and grit who plotted her improbable course in the context of the raucous and explosive period of the Middle Ages"--
