The Little Flowers of St. Francis / The Considerations on the Holy Stigmata / The Life and Sayings of Brother Giles / The Life of Brother Juniper

by Raphael Brown

The Little Flowers of St. Francis Raphael Brown - Translator Brother Ugolino di Monte Santa Maria Here is a book that generation after generation has taken to its heart, for it lives and breathes the spirit of St. Francis as no other book has ever done. It is irresistible. The warmth of Franciscan love and joy radiates from every page. The best-loved stories of the Poverello and his followers are all Francis's sermon to the birds...the stigmata...the wolf of Gubbio...the preaching of St. Anthony...the soaring "Canticle of Brother Sun"...the lives and sayings of Brother Juniper and Brother Giles. This edition - the only complete version - has been translated into modern English by Raphael Brown., the well-known Franciscan scholar whose own deep feeling for St. Francis has helped him capture the spirit and flavor that gives these writings their indescribable charm. Truly

357 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Joseph Heimbrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good! Great Spiritual read!

[Anne Boyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read anything like this, so I'm not really sure how to judge. It is a series of snippits. Short tales about the friars minor who followed St Francis. Do I know more about him? or about how he started the franciscans? not really. I would like to know more about whoever it was that wrote these down originally. Was he a contemporary? The portion about the stigmata was most interesting.

[Antonio C-P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories in this collection ranges from worth meaningful reflection to bafflingly insane. Ultimately does not paint a wholistic picture of the Saint or his followers.

[Vincent Waldron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the life of St. Francis and found this little book. I read it, thinking that it would give me a picture of who St. Francis was and interesting parts of his life. It is not a biography, but rather a collection of legends about St. Francis and his companions that was compiled some 100 years after the Saint's death. It was originally written in Italian and was translated into English by Raphael Brown.

The problem, I suppose is that the book is full of random stories that feel more like myth than reality. There are stories which involve things like St. Francis spying a demon sitting on another friar's neck, St. Francis creating peace between a village and a wolf, and a long section on him having Stigmata and trying to hide it from his fellow friars.

Part of the issue for me, as well, is that the stories show the early Franciscans as pursuing suffering and abuse from others for no particular reason. I am not Catholic and so maybe I would understand better if I had that background, but I thought blessing came for those who suffered for righteousness sake, not simply people who deliberately choose to do everything the hard way.

The stories of Brother Juniper were interesting and a little amusing.

I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have a strong desire to understand what stories were attributed to these men in a relatively short period of time after their death. I wouldn't read it if you are interested in having a modern sort of biography of St. Francis life -- there are other books out there that would fit that bill, but this one isn't that.