He conversed with both the Pope and the sultan. He transformed a taste for fine things and troubadour poetry into greater loves for poverty and joyful devotion to God. He never intended to found a traditional religious "movement," but nevertheless, he did. As he died, his brothers had to guard him closely in fear that someone would try to snatch the body of this living saint. Who was Francis of Assisi? Where did he come from and what can we learn from his life?

Paul Sabatier (1858-1928), a French Protestant and the first modern biographer of St. Francis, sought to find the man beneath the layers of myth and legend. Sabatier portrayed a fully human Francis, much like each of us in our awkwardness, insecurities, and fear, but also a gentle mystic and passionate reformer who desired to live as Jesus taught his disciples. The Road to Assisi presents Sabatier´s biography for today´s twenty-first century reader. With helpful explanations and annotations by Jon M. Sweeney, Sabatier´s narrative is supplemented with the insights of many other scholars and writers, from Bonaventure and Dante to G. K. Chesterton and Umberto Eco.
Visit Jon Sweeney's blog at www.jonmsweeney.wordpress.com.

That was the goal of Paul Sabatier, a French Protestant who, in 1894, launched the modern movement in Franciscan studies with his vivid book, "The Road to Assisi: The Essential Biography of St. Francis." More than 100 years later this biography is again available to readers interested in the real Francis. The new edition has wonderful explications on Sabatier's text by Jon Sweeney, although the old text is still marred by vituperation against Catholicism, a fault which placed it initially on the Index of Prohibited Books. Sabatier's text prompted an avalanche of other treatises. Scholars now probe the so-called "Franciscan Question" -- Who was Francis? What was the essence of his message? How did he convey it? Or, better, how was it conveyed by his brothers or those in authority? One jewel of the Sweeney edition of Sabatier's work is the inclusion of four tales from "The Little Flowers of Saint Francis" ("The Fioretti"). They gave me insight into the "Franciscan Question." In one, Brother Leo asks Francis to name the source of perfect joy. The answer is almost stoic: "In self-conquest is perfect joy." How should we do this? An answer is found in "Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life," written by Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame and one of the contemporary scholars who has sought to surpass Sabatier. Cunningham's book is the fruit of three decades of study, and its subtitle is especially apt, for Francis is always depicted as a man of action, literally "performing the Gospel." There is no sounder introduction to Francis' life. Cunningham's narrative is as accurate as it is readable. In many places, it is simply inspiring. If Francis sought to imitate the Gospel's rendition of Jesus' life, there are many today who seek to perform a Franciscan existence, too. He remains the Morning Star, whose Umbrian light stretches across the globe. Hayes teaches theology at Marymount College of Fordham University in New York.

Catholic News Service

July 8, 2005

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