In "St. Francis and the Cross, each of the authors provides two reflections on key texts and events from the life of the saint. Cantalamessa mediates on Francis' "Canticle of Creation" and his "Testament," calling us to allow the beauty of creation to draw us to Christ and open us to love. Martini considers how the folly of the cross brings us to wisdom and to perfect joy. This is an ideal book to use during prayer times or on retreat.
From young St. Francis de Sales comes this defense of the Catholic practice of making the Sign of the Cross, which Calvinists denounced as a Popish invention.
Francis of Assisi is, after Mary of Nazareth, the greatest saint in the Christian calendar, and one of the most influential men in the whole of humanHistory. By universal acclaim, this biography by G. K. Chesterton is considered the best appreciation of Francis's life--the one that gets to the heart of the matter.For Chesterton, Francis is a great paradoxical figure, a man who loved women but vowed himself to chastity; an artist who loved the pleasures of the natural world as few have loved them, but vowed himself to the most austere poverty, stripping himself naked in the public square so all could see that he had renounced his worldly goods; a clown who stood on his head in order to see the world aright. Chesterton gives us Francis in his world-the riotously colorful world of the High Middle Ages, a world with more pageantry andRomance-General-General-Generalthan we have seen before or since. Here is the Francis who tried to end the Crusades by talking to the Saracens, and who interceded with the emperor on behalf of the birds. Here is the Francis who inspired a revolution in art that began with Giotto and a revolution in poetry that began with Dante. Here is the Francis who prayed and danced with pagan abandon, who talked to animals, who invented the creche.
The Refugee from Heaven is the greatest story ever known. Cora Evans recounts the life of Jesus Christ as an eyewitness, beginning with the first meeting between Jesus and Peter, on the shores of Mount Carmel Bay. With vivid detail and dialogue, this unique account breathes new life into well-known figures of the Gospels. Readers gain startling insights into Mary of Magdala's conversion, Herod's ferocious personality, and John the Baptist's courage. Experience the awe of the disciples in the Upper Room at the Last Supper, and stand in the holy sepulcher at the moment of the Resurrection. With a book that is sure to renew appreciation for the loving Heart of Jesus, the author has created an enduring masterpiece.
An important reappraisal of the image of St Francis as it was recorded in literature, documents, architecture and art. Highly illustrated throughout, including colour and black and white plates, and containing key extracts from the major sources, this book bridges the boundaries of history and the history of art.
