Eager to Love

by Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr focuses his attention on all frames and doorways to the divine—the alternative way of Francis of Assisi.Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved of all saints, was at once very traditional and entirely revolutionary in the ways of holiness. As a standing paradox, he both stood barefoot on the earth and yet touched the heavens; he was grounded in the church and yet instinctively moved toward the cosmos; he lived happily inside the visible and tangible, and yet both suffered and rejoiced in the invisible.Rohr places the tradition as first practiced by Francis, and subsequently by others, within a context for the uninitiated audience. This is not a historical accounting, but rather a perspective about how the alternative orthodoxy can deepen spiritual life for anyone, whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, secular, or spiritual seeker.Eager to Love is grounded in the Gospels, the prophets, a broad blend of psychology and theology, and in literature and art, to continue to communicate through all the sources that articulate specific alternative ways of understanding God with us.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Christian, Theology, Faith

294 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 2014

About the author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.

Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).

Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.

Reviews

[Larry Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though author Richard Rohr does not delve into the biographies of Saint Francis of Assisi or of Saint Clare, he is well informed of their lives, and his real gift is understanding their lives and significance. The book's subtitle suggests how radical Francis of Assisi was and remains so in the Catholic Church. He is one of those saints that goes beyond Catholicism to be worshiped and admired in other faiths. Rorh himself is described as "an ecumenical teacher" in the book's cover description and it fits well his experiential approach to faith in a God that matters still. Though he has a fine grasp of theology, he refuses (as did Francis) to intellectualize it. He is above all a Franciscan carrying the way of Saint Francis into our daily lives. Here is a sample: "Compassion and patience are the absolutely unique characteristics of true spiritual authority, and without any doubt are the way both Francis and Clare led their communities. The led not from above, and not ever from below, but mostly from within, by walking with their brothers and sisters, or 'smelling like the sheep,' as Pope Francis puts it." They and this book are a treasure.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taken my time over this book because at first I don't think I was ready for it and also I think it starts fairly slowly/seems a bit simple and patronising at first (it develops!). I am so glad that I came back to it, though. Richard Rohr introduced me to the idea of being "on the edge of the inside" which is a perfect description of the place I feel called/drawn to. He talks about growing from a spirituality of the ten commandments into a spirituality of the beatitudes - from dual thinking to non-dual thinking - as a process of spiritual maturing. He discusses the importance of asymmetry and imperfection to the flourishing of human life - and links this up with modern physics. The freedom of the Gospel is something we fall into and receive and is nothing we can "achieve" - which sets perfectionists like me a little on edge, before completely freeing us. Talks about how the "problem of evil" is surely only as perplexing as the "problem of good" - i.e. why do we so often strive for good, if God -ultimate goodness - is absent? This is something I've been putting to atheist friends for some time - seeing it written here gives me strength to go on asking the question. By far my favourite part was about the universal and the particular, the cosmic Christ and the person Jesus. The cosmic Christ is described as that which existed before the world and has existed in all times and places (before and after the person Jesus) - Christ as each and every incarnation of God (in creatures, trees, rocks, water, air, etc.). The person Jesus is described as one example, a perfect incarnation, of the cosmic Christ. I also really liked the definition of "person" as an "inherent shareability" - as in the three persons of the trinity, the three faces (interfaces) of God - rather than the modern western concept of person as a separate, discrete consciousness. This interfacing and relationality as creativity and love which is Godself - thus one cannot be Christian alone. Eagerness to love is that quality which we live out and which shows people, rather than "explaining to" people, the love of God. These thoughts were not the author's own but rather were a really wholesome, fairly accessible introduction to the way of St Francis and St Clare. Many of the ideas in it were not new to me, but I really enjoyed the way he structured and explained concepts and often the language he uses cut right to the heart of the the matter in a way that I think only a truly contemplative person can. Many thanks, Richard Rohr!

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best spiritual book i've read in over a decade, out of the 100's i've read. Mind blowing would be an understatement as it changed my emotional base, my attitudes and my relationships with others in a revolutionary way. I was released from the prison of my own limited mind, at least a few prisons or cells to say the least. I am not Catholic in my training nor church setting, nor Franciscan but that does not change the overwhelming effect of the writing and content of the book. If you start from a negative, it is near impossible to reach a positive. If love is the alpha and omega of everything and all that exists flows from that, then the universe opens up and you find everything you were meant to find, at the moment you need it and that is precisely the positive start the world needs. I need. That is what I was lacking in making sense of the paradox of life. The proper starting point is love. It is amazing that it is often taught that love is the response to a problem, mainly evil or sin, yet that makes evil and sin as starting points in thought and not love, not God as you understand God, and places you into a cycle of defeat, cynicism and often depression. The presentation is not theological but you will find incredible insight into theology, psychology and personal growth from an axis point that liberates rather than imprisons. Liberation is what I found from Francis's life and that of Clare. The west has been sadly deprived of truth by exclusion, only concerning itself with logic, reason and rock solid answers thus digging it's own grave. I'm dancing with Francis now in a world where love is alive and performing miracles. I was blind but now I see. Words that mean something now are incarnation, transformation, salvation, and grace. It is an inside job and cannot be manufactured by behavior modification, drugs, money, politics, or social reformation, but by love, hope and belief.

[Erin Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I could give it 10 stars!
It's probably best described as a brief over view of modern day Franciscan mysticism. But I found so much that I agreed with or had thought about but couldn't put into words or that challenged me to think further. I already want to read it again.
Still a 5 on the reread

[Donald Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about Francis of Assisi and his principles. Written by a Franciscan Priest in New Mexico I read this with my small "spiritual" book club. We went through every page and enjoyed every page. It is not really a biography as much as it is a pleasant, loving lecture about the mores, principles and meaning of a true saint of many moons ago.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eager to Love is Richard Rohr's look at the amazing Francis of Assisi and what Francis brought to the world. It's brilliant and transformative, two qualities I've found in every book of Rohr's that I have read. And now I want to read and know more about Francis.

A few quotes from the book:

“You never become humble except through fully accepting humiliations—usually many times.”

“Once we can accept that God is in all situations, and can and will use even bad situations for good, then everything becomes an occasion for good and an occasion for God, and is thus at the heart of religion. The Center is everywhere.”

“But once we become practiced at a contemplative worldview, a “thisness” way of seeing, there is nothing trivial anymore and all is grace.”

“Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.”

“Salvation is not a divine transaction that takes place because you are morally perfect, but much more it is an organic unfolding, a becoming who you already are, an inborn sympathy with and capacity for, the very One who created you.”

“Francis of Assisi was a master of making room for the new and letting go of that which was tired or empty.”

“In general, we taught that love and action were more important than intellect or speculative truth. Love is the highest category for the Franciscan School (the goal), and we believe that authentic love is not possible without true inner freedom of conscience, nor will love be real or tested unless we somehow live close to the disadvantaged (its method), who remind us about what is important.”

“I suppose there is no more counterintuitive spiritual idea than the possibility that God might actually use and find necessary what we fear, avoid, deny, and deem unworthy. This is what I mean by the 'integration of the negative.' Yet I believe this is the core of Jesus’s revolutionary Good News, Paul’s deep experience, and the central insight that Francis and Clare lived out with such simple elegance.”

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time to read cover to cover a book by Richard Rohr. He is an almost patron saint of the Episcopal Church, and I admit, I was surprised to learn he was not an Episcopalian but a Catholic. The book was not what I was looking for--which is not to say it wasn't a fantastic book. But I had hoped for a book on Saint Francis and his theology. This book was not that. As a Franciscan, Rohr is obviously very knowledgeable about the biography and philosophy of Saint Francis--and more, he is living the way of Saint Francis. Ultimately, though, as another reviewer below mentioned, the book was more a very contemporary interpretation of Franciscan thought and a suggestion for reform as inspired by Saint Francis--with a healthy dose of liberation theology and feminist thought. So, if you are looking for a book about the life and times of Saint Francis of Assisi, you might be disappointed by the book. I was.

However, if you are looking for a book about what Franciscan thinking might have to say to today's Catholics, I guess you will love the book.

I really appreciated his long meditation on an open Eucharist and ideas of radical inclusion. Many religions don't necessarily encourage or allow for uninitiated to partake in the highest rituals--but Rohr speaks with great power, I thought, on the idea of the open table, hospitality and radical inclusion... that is to say, both Christ and Saint Francis fed people-not just people who understood or were initiates, but they fed outcasts. This was very much part of the movement. Rohr makes the strongest case--based on the life and work of Francis--for doing this for Holy Communion. I really appreciated that and learned a lot.

I also really loved his chapters on the current Pope--who not coincidentally took the name of Francis.

Borrowing from another review, I also treasured these words:
"Compassion and patience are the absolutely unique characteristics of true spiritual authority, and without any doubt are the way both Francis and Clare led their communities. The led not from above, and not ever from below, but mostly from within, by walking with their brothers and sisters, or 'smelling like the sheep,' as Pope Francis puts it."

I bought his more recent book on Saint Francis--though I am imagining it also won't be about Saint Francis. It's called Hope Against Darkness: The Transforming Vision of Saint Francis in an Age of Anxiety.

Anyway, I read this in addition to On the Road with Francis of Assisi by Linda Bird Francke
On the Road with Francis of Assisi: A Timeless Journey Through Umbria and Tuscany, and Beyond
by Linda Bird Francke
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Which was also not what I was looking for--my riend Mary just recommended this one--which I am hoping to bring with me to Assisi! https://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Sain...
Thanks, Mary!!

[Barbara Ahlquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Richard Rohr and this book has a lot of food for thought regarding the "alternative way" that St. Francis chose in following Jesus. It's doubtful that many people today would choose that way, but it would be hard to argue that it's probably not far from the Jesus way.

My problem with the book is that it seems to be written for Franciscans or, perhaps, Catholics. At least it presupposes quite a bit of knowledge about St. Francis and I wasn't expecting that based on it's title, as well as on previous books I'd read by Rohr. That being said, I found it informative, and it even prompted me to read a biography about St. Francis whose life I found to be quite interesting.

[Jason Lyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. I always knew Francis was an amazing man, but never fully knew his theology. The new Pope taking the Francis name has huge implications, and he chose a big set of shoes to fill. The book is quite heady. It keeps you thinking. It's pretty well written but overuse of exclamation points is a bit frustrating. But over all I really enjoyed reading this book. It has sparked an interests in Catholicism.

[John Hosmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've ever read from a Richard Rohr and it was absolutely fantastic.

This is not a biography of Francis of Assisi, it's more of an analysis of the way he lived and how radical it was and what we can do to imitate that in our current time.

Very approachable with heavy emphasis on mysticism (which is new to me) and incredibly well-balanced. I found it inspiring, convicting, and encouraging.

[Margie Dorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this with centering prayer group. Really excellent; we were wishing that many people would read it; it is so illuminating and expressed so well. Rohr takes the life of St. Francis and his followers and translates it to a spirituality for today that manages to combine heart and mind with an openness that is sorely needed.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love St. Francis but Richard Rohr is very hot or miss for me. Thankfully this book is all about Francis, and Rohr's description of the significance of St. Francis is both beautiful and compelling. 5 stars for the book and 3 stars for the appendices where Rohr talks about his own theological program.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read! Helped me to understand why Pope Francis seems so different from his predecessors. The Franciscan view seems to be much more welcoming.

[Drick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Rohr outlines the basic tenets of Franciscan Spirituality in this book, beginning with a description of the life and spirituality of Francis and Clare of Assisi , the Bonaventure and finally Duns Scotus. However there is an undertone of criticism in the book for what the Franciscan Order and the Roman Catholic Church have become. And so a subtext seems to be a call to renewal in the spirit of St. Francis. Rohr sees the current pope, Pope Francis, as a sign that the renewal has begun and can continue.

One of the things with Rohr that I always wonder, is how much of what he says reflects St. Francis and how much is Rohr's reshaping of Francis for his own purposes. Nonetheless this book gives us insight into the freedom and simplicity of the Franciscan tradition and how they understand the human relationship to God.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quotes:

I must know that I am, at least in part, the very thing I am seeking. In fact that is what makes me seek it! But most do not know this good news yet. God cannot be found “out there” until God is first found “in here,” within ourselves, as Augustine had profoundly expressed in his Confessions in many ways. Then we can almost naturally see God in others and in all of creation too. What you seek is what you are. The search for God and the search for our True Self are finally the same search… The small self is still objectively in union with God, it just does not know it, or enjoy it, or draw upon it.

If suffering is “whenever we are not in control” (which is my definition), then you see why some form of suffering is absolutely necessary to teach us how to live beyond the illusion of control and to give that control back to God.

Many say pain is physical discomfort, but suffering comes from our resistance, denial, and sense of injustice or wrongness about that pain. I know that is very true for me. This is the core meaning of suffering on one level or another, and we all learn it the hard way. Pain is the rent we pay for being human, it seems, but suffering is usually optional. The cross was Jesus’s voluntary acceptance of undeserved suffering as an act of total solidarity with all of the pain of the world. Reflection on this mystery of love can change your whole life.

The greatest enemy of ordinary daily goodness and joy is not imperfection, but the demand for some supposed perfection.

We start our Catholic liturgy with three recitations of “Lord, have mercy” and later with “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you”— but we then move ahead as if that were not true, and quickly presume we are indeed “worthy” to receive communion, and others are supposedly unworthy or do not understand as perfectly as we do. Do any Catholics even begin to understand what they are doing? Yet anyone else, outside the “fully understanding” Catholic circle, is told not to participate. This is one of the most visible and really tragic results of a spirituality of supposed “perfection.” Such exclusionary tactics are unconsciously based on a false sense of our own worthiness and then faith is treated as if it were memorized knowledge… Eating was a social event that included and created community for both Jesus and Francis, and there is no indication it was ever a reward for good behavior or an attempt to give a group its separate or superior identity. Can you even imagine Jesus making sure there were no Samaritans or Syro-Phoenicians eating his multiplied food? Yet a sustained patriarchal worldview has succeeded in using our central holy meal of Eucharist itself to exclude and judge the supposedly unworthy (as if we who participate are worthy), to restrict it to those who understand (as if any of us do), and to maintain proper group membership (yet Jesus feeds Judas, who is about to betray him, and Peter, who will deny him). All of these exclusionary restrictions seem to make the Eucharist something less than a truly holy meal, and they only make sense to someone seeking control of the group. Immature maleness even uses Sacraments to control and define its group instead of to heal and feed the thousands as Jesus did. As Pope Francis says, the Eucharist is not a “prize for the perfect.” I use this example of table fellowship because it continues to wound many people and falsely exalt other people. It is a sad instance of overly masculinized spirituality that denies us the power to redefine the social order according to Gospel values. I have never in my life known a hostess who said to a late-arriving guest, “There is not enough for you,” or, “You are not welcome here,” yet we priests are encouraged to say it at any Mass where there might be “unworthy people” or “people who do not understand.”

All of the official “seven sacraments” just happen to make us totally dependent upon the priestly class for “grace,” and make unmediated contact with God appear to be less likely or not even possible. Such “patriarchy” makes everybody lose, even the patriarchs themselves because they lose their deep honesty.

Josef Pieper, a Thomist scholar himself, rightly said that “The proper habitat for truth is human relationships.” Ideas by themselves are never fully “true,” which is Platonism and not incarnate Christianity. At that level, we just keep arguing about words, and this keeps us from love.

According to John Duns Scotus, Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.

We had a hard time loving the various parts of creation, so we were ill prepared to love the whole. Up to now we have been much more into exclusion than inclusion, which is what happens when Jesus is not also Christ. “Why do you parcel up Christ?” Paul angrily said to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:13). When we defined Jesus in such a small way, largely as a mere problem solver for sin, we soon became preoccupied with sin itself. In fact, not much was happening in this world except sin and its effects, which clearly became the preoccupation of most monks and almost all of the Reformers. It was a rather small scenario for life, mostly concerned with shame and guilt, atonement and reparation, as if we were merely the frightened children of an abusive father. Maybe that itself was our deepest “sin”? How do you ever get into the great parade when this is the starting line— and “correcting” is God’s major concern? Is there no greater meaning to life and history, and Divinity itself?

[Kaitlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best spiritual book I have read in a very long long time. I have also been drawn to St. Francis and now I know why. This book will challenge your view on spirituality and explains how St. Francis actually was a revolutionary and had somewhat different views than the mainstream Catholic believes at the time. Richard Rohr gives us the antidote to the superficial fundamental spirituality that has crept into Christianity: Active Franciscan living and contemplation. He put into words things I have been frustrated with the Church for the past few years and does it so mercifully. I also liked how Richard Rohr incorporated a lot of ideas from Carl Jung to further emphasize the importance of active living and contemplation from the psychological view.

[Carolyn Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

In writing about “the alternative way” of St Francis of Assisi, Richard Rohr provides insight into Francis and Clare and their understanding of the Gospel. The book is well-written; I hesitate to call it easy to read because it is extremely thought-provoking and challenges the reader to think differently than the dualism that is typical of American thought. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Kevin Haar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eager to Love is a reflection on the mystical genius of Francis of Assisi and how his and Clare's philosophy still has much to offer in today's turbulent and fast-paced world. In Eager to Love, Richard Rohr lays out the revolutionary ideas of Francis, most especially the commitment to put love before all things. Rohr liberally uses italics, exclamation, and bolded text to emphasis his often profound revelations on Francis. Rohr is accessible for those that will be committed to comprehending. Many passages were so beautiful and revelatory that I had to read them several times to grasp an understanding. Every page was worth the effort. Rohr is inspirational and convincing. Francis' philosophy has little to do with religion and a lot to do with accepting and receiving love. It is a message whose relevance cannot be understated even if it is underappreciated. 13th century Francis and Clare are still people worth reading and learning from. I am grateful to Rohr for delivering their message in such a profound and satisfying way.

[Anna Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franscican motto "My God -- and all things."

Spirituluality in itself apart from others, without service and concrete love, often leads people to immense ego inflation and delusion. Wanting to be thought holy, special, right, safe, or on higher moral ground has a deep narcissistic appeal to the human ego. These false motivations are, ironically, the surest way to actually avoid God - all the while using God talk and ritualized behavior. p. 14

An authentic experience of God doesn't just tell you that you are unique, special, loved but that others are too.

p. 89 As Peter the first pope said to his own religious authorities "Obedience to God comes before obedience to men." (ACTS 5:29) John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, outrageously disobedient to own religious authorities. You can only see what you have been told to pay attention to.

All top down religion trains you in pretending denying and projecting your evil elsewhere p. 109. Jesus uses the word "hypocrites" ten times in Matthew's gospel alone. Without real work with our shadow self none of us will face our own hypocrisy.

Matthew 23 immature religion preoccupied with externals, formulas, costumes, roles, titles, obedience and group loyalty as the highest virtue instead of love. p.113 "You never become humble except by fulling accepting humiliation - usually many times."

As Paul said, "God is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and have our being. So that all nations might seek the Divine, and by *feeling their way toward him, succeed in finding him." Acts 17:27-28

"Unless we are able to view things in terms of how they originate, how they are to return to their end, and how God shines forth in them, we will not be able to understand." - St. Bonaventure

p. 189 "God is good and so we his children must be good too; God is free and so we do not need to be afraid of true freedom; God is nonviolent love, and this is the only hope for a world in which even Christians think violence is the way to "redeem" the world. Wrong ideas about God lead to wrong ideas about everything else too.

Yet ah! This air I gather and release
He lived on;
These weeds and waters, these walls are what
He haunted
Who of all men most sways my spirit to peace.
- Gerard Manley Hopkins

p. 244
Healthy religion teaches you how mature relationship works... unhealthy religion allows you to try to manipulate God... How you do anything is how you do everything... a God modeled after our own smallness is so often the God that so many atheists have rightly rejected.

Grateful to Andrew Ciferni and Cass for recommending this one.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly good. Perhaps the best book about God I’ve read.

[Joy Lenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Rohr is one of my favourite authors. I love his slant way of seeing, his perceptions of faith and its working out in our daily lives. Here he takes an in-depth view of a well known, beloved Christian saint and brings him to life in a refreshing way. Francis of Assisi is not only associated with a truly practical theology and a mystical way of relating to God's creation, he is also Founder-friar of the Franciscan movement to which Richard Rohr himself belongs.
Therefore it is with an insider eye, an appreciation for history and a determination to root St Francis in reality that this book is written. This is a fresh, imaginative approach that shows us the man behind the cassock, the heart behind the legend and the truth sitting side by side with myth.
It's a book that demands focussed attention and savouring in small chunks at a time because of its depth. Rohr may malign his own mind at times but this is a meaty read, not for the faint-hearted.
Although Francis of Assisi is the major character here, you will also find other significant souls who fed into his spirituality and influenced his orthodoxy. All serve to introduce the reader to a way of being, seeing and sensing that opens them up to new ways of thinking.
This is rich stuff, redolent with resources, quilted with quotes and notes. In the unlocking of a life, you may find yourself looking at St Francis with new eyes and also seeing how you could live differently in response to all that's revealed. A profound, learned read that may just unsettle you into a fresh spiritual perspective.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Rohr was introduced to me by a Twitter friend of mine, @calvinjburke. Here are just a few of the positive endorsements that have come across my feed:
https://twitter.com/calvinjburke/status/1050260015003578368?s=19
https://twitter.com/calvinjburke/status/1139281057134419968?s=19
https://twitter.com/calvinjburke/status/1015423208684572674?s=19
For some reason, I didn't start with Falling Upward, instead serendipitously picking Eager to Love, which deals with the life of Francis of Assisi. If you've followed my reviews over the past year, Francis is someone I have found to embody the kind of Christianity I think is true. I first found Francis in Chesterton's quick biography of the saint, where he states:
That was the point the Pope had to settle; whether Christendom should absorb Francis or Francis Christendom. And he decided rightly... for the Church could include all that was good in the Franciscans and the Franciscans could not include all that was good in the Church... Every heresy has been an effort to narrow the Church. If the Franciscan movement had turned into a new religion, it would after all have been a narrow religion.
This is the first thing that struck me about Franciscanism, is that Francis and his followers remained in the Church, yet stayed outside the mainstream. While not openly criticizing the Church and its leaders, their very lifestyle was a critique. This was a model I had been looking for. Rohr comments on this same effect of Franciscans, noting their heterodoxy, not heresy:
A heterodox opinion is what we would now call a minority opinion. It is not deemed wrong or heretical or rebellious as such, but is simply not the mainstream thought. In that clear sense, Franciscanism has invariably been heterodox, but we usually kept that quiet...
So any debates about Franciscan spirituality were not usually oppositional but had to do with what was stressed and how it was stressed, which makes a not of difference in your practical ethos and imaginal world.
I feel that doctrinally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaves a lot of room for variations of belief-- I believe Elder Uchtdorf used the term umbrella to describe it-- but in practice, we insist on a bland uniformity. We have models other than Saint Francis, Lowell Bennion being a good example. But Catholicism has been at this a lot longer than us, and has quite a few examples of staying unified in the faith while allowing inner critique. I think Oaks wasn't entirely fair when he said there is no such thing in religion as a "loyal opposition."
More recently, I read Daring to Cross the Threshold , which emphasizes Francis's encounter with the Sultan during the Crusades as a model of inter-religious dialogue. Rohr also has a short chapter on that, focusing on Francis's statement regarding is opposition to the wars of the Crusades: If I tell them they will consider me a food, but if I am silent, I cannot escape my own conscience.
Rohr himself can speak very in-depth about Francis and Franciscanism because he is a Franciscan. But his purpose in writing the book is to revive the spirit of Francis even within his own order, which has either caved into many of the elements Francis critiqued, or fallen prey to its own idiosyncrasies. Rohr quotes Morris West in the afterword:
The work he began still continues... but it is not the same. The revolution is over. The revolutionaries have become conformists. The little brothers of the Little Poor Man are rattling alms boxes in the railway square or dealing in real estate to the profit of the Order... Of course, this is not the whole story. They teach, they preach, they do the work of God as best they know, but it is no longer a revolution, and I think we need one now.
There were a few other surprises about Francis in Rohr's book too. For instance, Rohr talks about the doctrine of theosis or becoming like God, which we as Latter-day Saints often think ourselves unique (and get branded heretics for). Rohr explains quotes Christ:
"Is it not written in your own law, 'You are gods?' Don't accuse me of heresy here; Jesus said that!... To be a Christian is to objectively know that we share the same identity that Jesus enjoyed as both human and divine, which is what it means to 'follow' him. I, in fact, believe that this is the whole point of the Gospel and the Incarnation! (Read John 14 and 15 in their entirely, lest you think I am overstating my position, or study the early Fathers of the Eastern Church, who got this much more clearly than the Western Church.)"
Rohr also explains the motivation for Francis's radical refusal to take part in consumer culture and live a life of poverty. While doing so isn't practical for the everyday Christian-- at least, for those of us who have families to provide for-- I do think that we can take inspiration in Francis in what decisions we make about our careers and how we spend our time. Rohr explains:
When you agree to live simply, you have time for spiritual and corporeal works of mercy because you have renegotiated in your mind and heart your very understanding of time and its purposes. Time is not money anymore, despite the common aphorism! Time is life itself.
And of course, the absolute central message to Rohr's book is that the gospel is at its core about love. Love is the only thing that can truly change people:
Love is not love until you stop expecting something back. The moment you want something in return for giving, all love is weakened and prostituted. This is the nature of the divine energy that transforms; it is inherently contagious, and it is holiness itself. This is Francis and Clare.

[The · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Rohr’s Eager to Love, is a deep look at the Franciscan charism. It is good read for any time of the year but especially for Advent. The subtitle: the alternative way of Francis of Assisi briefly sums up Rohr’s experience of having tried it and found it to work. Even though he would be the first to admit he is still trying it. Nonetheless is a way of being in the world that is very attractive to many. I have long felt that we are still a pre-Christian people. We are attracted to Jesus’ ways, but are waiting for more people to really live the life, before we commit to it fully ourselves. Maybe we now are standing of the threshold of having exhausted the other options and might give it a try. If so, this book will be a good handbook for the adventure. Rohr, Richard. Eager to Love. Franciscan Media, Cincinnati, OH. 2014

[Jean Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am inspired by Richard Rohr's clear description of the pathway to nondual, mature Christianity. His style is conversational and down to earth, as befits a follower of Francis of Assisi. Friar (Father) Richard makes the revolutionary ways of Francis and Clare accessible for the modern reader. I am struck by the fact that "third tier" contemplative faith is the same for all faith traditions. It involves realizing the sacredness of all creation, including one's own self, and seeking reunion with the divine. It is so tragic that most of humanity is stuck in "first tier" tribal, dualistic belief systems that exclude and demonize. Fr. Richard quotes Pope Francis liberally, showing that this pope takes after his namesake and is a beacon of hope in our contentious world.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really resonated with me. I've read about St. Francis...know a bit about St. Clare but this book really refreshed my understanding of them both. In addition, it gave me some insight into what is behind the thinking and actions of Pope Francis.

Father Rohr connects so many holy people in this book...saints and biblical figures that I've seen as a direct line of individuals who demonstrated faith in their time for those of us who came later. Rohr affirmed my thinking.

There is a clear affirmation of centuries of female theology ...Hildegard, Clare, Julian of Norwich and more.

This is a must read, especially if you have read Rohr and Pope Francis.

An Afterword and Notes (extensive) wrap up the book very nicely.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly wish I could rate this book more highly because I think it's important, I'm glad I read it, and I love Richard Rohr. But it doesn't have the same power as the other books I've read by him. It feels almost disorganized: I know what his general points are, but the way he makes them feels roundabout.

This book is worth reading if only for the appendices, which were the most meaningful and clear part for me.

I'm very glad this wasn't my first Rohr experience because I might have skipped his other works! Don't start here if you want to love him; start with Great Themes of Paul (audio program) or Falling Upward to have a transformative first impression of him. He is truly the revolutionary figure we need.

[Ashley Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much that I like, respect, and appreciate about Richard Rohr. I am extremely thankful for his insight and loved a lot of what he shares and explains here. However, it took me almost two months to read this because it never struck me as a book I could just curl up with for a weekend. I sometimes struggle with Rohr's readability. BUT I wanted to finish this book and now hope to dive into the actual writings of St Francis and Clare. There is a lot that Rohr touches on in this book and I will be processing it for a long time and will likely need to revisit it. It's thought provoking and encouraging though. Rohr is always welcome depth in a world of shallow Christian publications.

[Circle of Hope Pastors · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is Richard Rohr's best book. In it he brings all his Franciscan passion and his great capacity to integrate into an inspiring call to live out the faith with integrity in today's world -- mindful of the past, respectful of the Bible, careful to assess one's psychology but alive in the Spirit -- and brave! This is Franciscan contemplation and action at its best -- and you don't need to know much about Francis of Assisi to get it. I have been reading Richard Rohr since he was just a few years ahead of me on our very similar spiritual journey; he goes off to the edge now and then, but he always finds his way back to his central motivation: Jesus. -- Rod

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become a student of St. Francis and St. Clare through the transmission of Richard Rohr--all wise ones. EAGER TO LOVE is a sweeping introduction to Franciscan spirituality, theology, and practice. As with all of Rohr's books, it is a clear and easy read with truths profoundly difficult to grow into. A sample:

“We must bear patiently not being good…and not being thought good.” --Francis

“You only know as much as you do.” —Francis

"First learn to love your life then allow yourself to fully die into it. " --Rohr

[Jackie St Hilaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You only know as much as you do"" Francis

Francis lived on the "edge" of the church position. He didn't go against any of the teachings but lived and spoke in the poverty of the spirit. Francis was a mystic not a moralist. He lived poverty of spirit and not private perfection.

Francis had a Christo Centric World View. He was a non-dual thinker, no proving who or what he stood for.

The Church was his primary arena in which the good news could be protected and disseminated.

The living body of Christ.
Everywhere. Everyone. Everything.