Opus 2023-306: Book Review: Saint Francis

I just finished reading a biography of Saint Francis of Assisi called God’s Fool.  It was very informative but at times a bit of a slog.  The style reminded me of Sunday School materials I had as a kid and the world view was based on that of a devout Roman Catholic author and readers.  The man who comes across was a bit crazy but in a way that would be required to live the life of total poverty he advocated.  Even allowing for the bias of the author the man who was canonized practiced what he preached.  As a devout Protestant I can say I recognized the Jesus he was trying to serve and that Francis was serious in his faith.  Even if I roll my eyes at some of the miracles that were described, I can salute his faithful service to the Lord.

One of the problems with vows of poverty like Francis followed is the same that emerges when you have total pacifists.  Both rely on other people to do the dirty work.  While it is true that in Utopia if everyone was a pacifist society would work, it is not true of the vow of poverty.  In that world it would not take people long to starve to death or die of exposure.  Also, since there would be no children born, it would be a short lived world for humans.  Since Utopia will never happen in this world I guess those are things we won’t need to worry about.

I can recommend the book even if I did not enjoy the style.  There is much to learn for Catholics, Protestants and even the non-believer can pick up interesting details about medieval life.

Green, Julien.  God’s Fool, The Life and Times of Francis of Assisi.  San Francisco:  Harper and Row, Publishers, 1985.

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