Book Reviews and More: Peace of Heart Francis of Assisi - John Kirvan

Peace of Heart Francis of Assisi

Great Spiritual Teachers

John Kirvan (editor)

Caroline Myss (Forward)

Ave Maria Press

ISBN 9781594711558

ASIN B005JC5AO0

Peace of Heart Francis of Assisi - John Kirvan - Great Spiritual Teachers

This is the eleventh volume in the Great Spiritual Teachers series I have read. It is a an older title in the series, it was originally released in 1997, and rebranded in 2000’s, but not yet with the 2024 2025 rebranding’s, at least for the eBook. Just over a year ago I read my first book in the series, it was Born to Do This: 30 Days with Joan of Arc by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, and loved it and the concept of the series. I have read one almost every month since that first one, and if I can track down all the out of print, will do so until I finish all 24 released to date in the series.

The description of this volume states:

“This month long journey of morning and evening reflections provides a window into the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, the renowned father of environmentalism. This beloved twelfth-century saint found true peace only when he abandoned all his worldly possessions and ordered his life around the care of those in society who were most poor and vulnerable.”

About the series we are informed:

“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”

I believe there are 16 volumes in this series currently in print. There are also a number that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added all of them to my ‘to be read list’. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes, and brings back into print some of the volumes currently not available; specifically the volumes on John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Mother Theresa and others. This specific volume was released in 1995, making it one of the oldest in the series.

The sections in this volume are:

Foreword

Francis of Assisi

How To Pray This Book

Thirty Days With Francis of Assisi

One Final Word

While reading this I several a few passages, some of them are:

“A mystical renaissance is at work in our world. Like a subtle field of grace that surrounds our world, individuals everywhere are exploring the seductive invitation to develop a joyful and intimate relationship with God. In keeping with the nature of this mystical awakening, more and more people ple are discovering the need to develop a more refined spiritual path. This new path that so many are drawn to today embodies characteristics once so familiar to the great mystics of the medieval and Renaissance eras. These mystics, our great spiritual teachers, include Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Francis of Assisi, St. John the Evangelist, Meister Eckhart, Francis de Sales, Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux, Evelyn Underhill, and Mother Teresa in modern times.”

“The mystics knew when to hold tight to their faith, especially when they were confronted with attacks from both inside and outside their monasteries. Attacks came mostly from those who envied the stamina in the souls of these saints.”

“Life is an ongoing journey of change and choice, a surrendering of the old and a trust in new beginnings. What these saints ultimately realized-and revealed to others-is that refining a relationship with God is the life choice on which all else is built.”

“These wonderful mystics are enjoying a renewed popularity precisely because so many people are recognizing the need to find the Sacred once again.”

“Life is an empty journey without the companionship ship of God. And developing a sense of Divine intimacy requires time set aside to be with God in prayer, reflection, tion, and contemplation.”

“You will find in these pages an almost relentless emphasis on real poverty and its necessary companion, humility. This is so not just because these virtues are the key to Franciscan spirituality, but because in the view of Francis-and the Gospels-they are the key to Christianity, the rock bottom message of Jesus.”

“The morning readings in this book are developed from two Lives of Francis written by Thomas Celano in the years soon after the saint's death. Here we see Francis in action. Here we see his spirituality fleshed out in the world he wished to flee, but which he never rejected.”

“This is not a book for mere reading. It invites you to meditate and pray its words on a daily basis over a period of thirty days.”

“If in the past I have depended on my own efforts, teach me now to put my whole trust in you. Be my helper, the sole support of my life. Free me from the prison of the world. Let me turn a deaf ear to the call of its values.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, it is easy to let the words of the Gospel wash over me, almost unheard and unheeded, their demands softened and left for others. Let me understand that they are meant for me. They are what I need to hear. This is how you wish me to live.”

“May the Lord bless and keep all his children. May he make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. May the Lord look kindly upon us, grant us a quiet night and lasting peace.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Prepare me for the days that are to come. Help me to reach out to everyone within my world and, at whatever cost, extend to them the peace and forgiveness that you have lavished on me.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, nourish my spirit with the daily bread that only you can provide.”

“And now as the day ends, and sleep approaches, open my heart to those in need, grant me the gift of practical compassion. For all your children, but especially for the poor and the homeless.”

“I pray: May the Lord bless and keep all of us. May he make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. May the Lord look kindly upon us, grant us a quiet night and lasting shelter.”

“Here is how Francis prayed. He strove constantly to stay consciously in the presence of God, to break down the walls between heaven and earth. With his whole soul he thirsted after Christ and committed not just his soul, but his whole body to him as well.”

“For,” he said, “no matter how great our gifts from God, we must let others see how poor we still are. For the small reward of impressing others, we must not lose the gift itself.” When others asked him to pray for them, he treated it as an obligation to be fulfilled as soon as possible.”

“Our Father who art in heaven, it does little good to pray with the words you have taught us, if we do not love and sacrifice for those whom you love and for whom your Son sacrificed everything. "A friend of Christ loves the souls that Christ loves."

It profits us little, and others not at all unless our lives speak more loudly than our words. Now as the day ends and sleep approaches, remind me that without love, faith and hope are empty, as are these words I pray.

Bless and keep all your children, especially those most in need of your love. Make your face to shine upon us all, and be gracious to us. Look kindly upon us, grant us a quiet night and lasting peace.”

A sample day is:

“DAY 13
My Day Begins

It is almost impossible to describe
how great was the affection of Francis
for all of God’s creation,
the depth of his joy in contemplating
the wisdom, the power, and the goodness
of their Creator in all creatures.
It was with this joy that he looked upon the sun,
beheld the moon, and gazed upon the stars.

He saw their Creator even in little worms,
which he would pick up from the road
and put down in a safe place lest they be trampled,
for he remembered that it had been said of his Lord,
“Tam a worm and no man.”
In winter he provided the bees with honey
lest they freeze:

He had a special love of flowers.
He preached to them
and invited them to praise the Lord
as though they could understand.
He urged cornfields and vineyards, stones and forest,
and everything green,
gardens, fountains and fields,
earth, fire, wind, and water,
to love God and serve him willingly.

He invited all creation
to imitate the youths in the fiery furnace
and praise and glorify the Creator of the universe.

Filled with the Spirit of God,
he never ceased to glorify, praise, and bless
in all creation
the Creator and Ruler of all things.
He called all creatures ‘brother’
and in an extraordinary way unknown to others,
his sensitive heart
uncovered the hidden things of the world.
It was as though he were already enjoying
the freedom of the glory
of the sons of God.
(1 Cel XXIX)

All Through The Day

All of creation shall be set free.
(Rom 8:21)

My Day Is Ending

Our Father, Lord of creation,
hallowed be your name
in all that you have made.
Fill us with your Spirit
that we might always and in all your creatures
glorify, praise, and bless you.

In the wondrous works of your hands,
in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
in the flowers of the fields,
in everything that grows,
you make present to us your wisdom,
your power, and your goodness.

Now as the day ends
and sleep approaches,
bless and keep all of creation.
Out of the silent darkness of our brother the night sky
make your face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us.
Look kindly upon us,
grant us a quiet night
and lasting peace.”

I hope those quotes and the sample days give you a feel for this excellent volume. This volume does not have the section Night Prayer to end the day that some have. But the My Day is Ending is mostly a prayer and as can be seen from the many times I highlighted and shared them above. We were informed early in the book that:

“The evening prayer uses a form beloved of Francis, a meditation on the words of the Lord’s Prayer and on favorite passages of scripture. Each day ends with a variation on a passage from the book of Numbers (6:24-26), often called the “Priestly Prayer,” that Francis once used as a personal blessing to his close companion, Leo.”

I have now read 11 volumes in this series, and currently working on a twelfth, and I can state this is another excellent offering in the series. I find that some speak to me more than others. With one almost every day was like an aha moment, others are more work and fewer moments. This one every day was a moving experience. II can state I benefited from the month with each person being profiled. And if I went back and did a volume again at a different point or season in life I might interact with it differently. I already plan to circle back to both this volume and the volume on Joan and reread them once I have completed the series, or at least those I can track down.

This was one another of the volumes I really connected with, especially the prayers at the end of each day. I have added a few of them to my daily prayers. This is a great read, it is one I really enjoyed reading. I can easily recommend this volume and the series as a whole, and I look forward to reading others in the series. If you have not given any in this series a try this would be an excellent starting point or whichever one seems to call to you.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!