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I, Francis
A fictionalized first person depiction of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, the beloved founder of the Franciscans and patron of the environment. The book reflects on Saint Francis's youth, teachings, and the development of his religious order from the intimacy of an autobiographical narrative. Charming and original, I, Francis gives readers new insights and inspires renewed reverence for the "little poor man."
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 21, 2023
Father Carlo Carretto was a man of rare and subtle insight. A simple priest, he got right to the heart of the matter at hand with his unnervingly penetrating wisdom.
Good Pope John was astonished by his simple wisdom and made him a Force for Change during Vatican II.
And he died with his boots on. As one of the lowest of the low in the deserts of the MidEast, he told the poorest of the poor of the Hope of Jesus’ Good News.
Look at his quicksilver penetration of what ails the modern Church (from his simple treatise God is Love):
“Each of us has some object of adoration, some subject we set up on our altar; for some it will be chastity... for others it will be work, or economy or good name... but few, all to few, come to adore the loving will of Jesus, which was spelled out so carefully in the Father’s name.”
When I started a new high-stress plateau of my career thirty years ago, I found myself catapulted precipitously out of a comfortable and gentlemanly niche in a quiet unassuming office, into a dog-eat-dog atmosphere supercharged with suspicion, ambition and underhanded behaviour.
It was pretty tough.
But there were a few bright lights in that viciously competitive lower circle of infernal fire.
One of them was Lee.
A quiet and gentle middle manager, he could not help arousing a sense of wonder in you by his aura of pure unhurried Peace.
To sit and discuss workplace projects in his little office was like escaping to an oasis of pure tranquility.
His was an aura of simple abiding, graciously hidden amid the cacophony of combativeness produced by the inmates of an insidiously ill-intentioned bureaucratic zoo!
Then he retired - for he was not a young man.
When his subordinate - let’s call him Tim - passed away, Lee had another epiphany in store for me - at a nearby church, this time.
During Tim’s funeral Mass, Lee assisted as Deacon at the altar.
He had become a Franciscan lay brother! Now, HERE was a guy who had REALLY found his niche.
Carlo Carretto was another gentle guy who was doing exactly as his quiet nature saw fit.
He played a pivotal role with the Catholic Youth movement in the forties and fifties, he added his wisdom to the Vatican II deliberations, and he ended his life working in the desert with the Little Brothers of Jesus.
All of his life was led by the inner call of the Spirit.
His was a vital, spontaneous and engaged spirit, for he came to eschew formality and ornate ceremony. Like Thomas Merton, in fact, he found himself at variance with traditional church rigidity, and many of his later writings are outspoken.
So what vital and spontaneous faith he brings to this little rhapsody on St. Francis - from Francis’ “own” mouth!
It’s beautiful.
Try to imagine yourself deep in the desert of the Middle East, ministering to the poor and dispossessed, as he did at the end of his life, and in your free time penning these words:
“If human beings go to war, it is because they fear someone.
Remove the fear, and you shall establish trust. And you shall have peace.
Nonviolence is fear’s destruction.
That’s why I tell you once more, I, Francis: Learn to conquer fear, as I did that morning when I went out to meet the wolf with a smile.
By conquering myself, I conquered the wolf.
By taming my wicked instincts, I tamed those of the wolf.
By making an effort to trust the wolf, I found the wolf trusted me.
My courage had established peace.”
A peace which is always available, but can only be arrived at by strenuous lifelong effort at a loving engagement in life.
FOUR gentle STARS for a Wonderful book!
Good Pope John was astonished by his simple wisdom and made him a Force for Change during Vatican II.
And he died with his boots on. As one of the lowest of the low in the deserts of the MidEast, he told the poorest of the poor of the Hope of Jesus’ Good News.
Look at his quicksilver penetration of what ails the modern Church (from his simple treatise God is Love):
“Each of us has some object of adoration, some subject we set up on our altar; for some it will be chastity... for others it will be work, or economy or good name... but few, all to few, come to adore the loving will of Jesus, which was spelled out so carefully in the Father’s name.”
When I started a new high-stress plateau of my career thirty years ago, I found myself catapulted precipitously out of a comfortable and gentlemanly niche in a quiet unassuming office, into a dog-eat-dog atmosphere supercharged with suspicion, ambition and underhanded behaviour.
It was pretty tough.
But there were a few bright lights in that viciously competitive lower circle of infernal fire.
One of them was Lee.
A quiet and gentle middle manager, he could not help arousing a sense of wonder in you by his aura of pure unhurried Peace.
To sit and discuss workplace projects in his little office was like escaping to an oasis of pure tranquility.
His was an aura of simple abiding, graciously hidden amid the cacophony of combativeness produced by the inmates of an insidiously ill-intentioned bureaucratic zoo!
Then he retired - for he was not a young man.
When his subordinate - let’s call him Tim - passed away, Lee had another epiphany in store for me - at a nearby church, this time.
During Tim’s funeral Mass, Lee assisted as Deacon at the altar.
He had become a Franciscan lay brother! Now, HERE was a guy who had REALLY found his niche.
Carlo Carretto was another gentle guy who was doing exactly as his quiet nature saw fit.
He played a pivotal role with the Catholic Youth movement in the forties and fifties, he added his wisdom to the Vatican II deliberations, and he ended his life working in the desert with the Little Brothers of Jesus.
All of his life was led by the inner call of the Spirit.
His was a vital, spontaneous and engaged spirit, for he came to eschew formality and ornate ceremony. Like Thomas Merton, in fact, he found himself at variance with traditional church rigidity, and many of his later writings are outspoken.
So what vital and spontaneous faith he brings to this little rhapsody on St. Francis - from Francis’ “own” mouth!
It’s beautiful.
Try to imagine yourself deep in the desert of the Middle East, ministering to the poor and dispossessed, as he did at the end of his life, and in your free time penning these words:
“If human beings go to war, it is because they fear someone.
Remove the fear, and you shall establish trust. And you shall have peace.
Nonviolence is fear’s destruction.
That’s why I tell you once more, I, Francis: Learn to conquer fear, as I did that morning when I went out to meet the wolf with a smile.
By conquering myself, I conquered the wolf.
By taming my wicked instincts, I tamed those of the wolf.
By making an effort to trust the wolf, I found the wolf trusted me.
My courage had established peace.”
A peace which is always available, but can only be arrived at by strenuous lifelong effort at a loving engagement in life.
FOUR gentle STARS for a Wonderful book!
March 30, 2013
This is one of my favorite books on Francis, presented in the first person by a Little Brother of the Gospel, who has lived as Francis did. I read it on a pilgrimage to Assisi and it sustained and challenged me. There is also a "Little Divine Office" at the end of he book that combines scripture and Francis which provides a day of prayer with Francis.
Those who know little of Francis might want to read a biography before reading this, but should not neglect reading this, slowly and prayerfully.
Those who know little of Francis might want to read a biography before reading this, but should not neglect reading this, slowly and prayerfully.
December 4, 2025
Reading this short book predominantly in Francis’ home town of Assisi was a worthwhile spiritual experience. Carretto writes from the perspective of St Francis, as if he were speaking to us from heaven. It’s part biographical, as the fictional Francis reflects on key moments from his medieval life, but more importantly, contemplative.
Writing from the point of view of one of the most well known saints is a huge challenge- in capturing the views of such a man, you have to be careful not to make statements that don’t actually reflect what he would’ve believed.
There were a few paragraphs that frustrated me because I felt they weren’t quite right. But reflecting on it, I feel it’s either my brokenness meaning I’m not measuring up to Francis’ extraordinary human holiness, or the author’s brokenness permeating through in his writing, meaning he’s not giving a not-quite-accurate representation of the man he seeks to honour.
At the back of the book, Carretto’s compiled a sort of Liturgy of the Hours, with each of the times of prayer drawing from St Francis’ writings and particular Psalms that he cherished. I worked through the entire Liturgy on a prayer day that we had in Assisi. I prayed with it at the mountain Hermitage early in the morning; at the Piccolino where he was born; at the small chapel under what used to be his old home; at the Hermitage once more; and finished with the compline at Rocco Maggiore, overlooking the town of Assisi. The Psalms and prayers were meeting me exactly where I needed to be met, the right words at the right time from the Spirit.
Writing from the point of view of one of the most well known saints is a huge challenge- in capturing the views of such a man, you have to be careful not to make statements that don’t actually reflect what he would’ve believed.
There were a few paragraphs that frustrated me because I felt they weren’t quite right. But reflecting on it, I feel it’s either my brokenness meaning I’m not measuring up to Francis’ extraordinary human holiness, or the author’s brokenness permeating through in his writing, meaning he’s not giving a not-quite-accurate representation of the man he seeks to honour.
At the back of the book, Carretto’s compiled a sort of Liturgy of the Hours, with each of the times of prayer drawing from St Francis’ writings and particular Psalms that he cherished. I worked through the entire Liturgy on a prayer day that we had in Assisi. I prayed with it at the mountain Hermitage early in the morning; at the Piccolino where he was born; at the small chapel under what used to be his old home; at the Hermitage once more; and finished with the compline at Rocco Maggiore, overlooking the town of Assisi. The Psalms and prayers were meeting me exactly where I needed to be met, the right words at the right time from the Spirit.
August 14, 2025
Las reflexiones a continuación brotan de aquello que podríamos llamar una experiencia verdaderamente transformadora.
Esta se produce al coger el relato de una vida que sobrecoge el alma y acompañarla de un viaje de caminos verdosos, repletos de coníferas, álamos, hayas y pueblos cuya razón de existencia en este mundo es la de ofrecer un oasis que permite a uno viajar a épocas pasadas. Esta combinación de lectura y peregrinaje le permite a uno adentrarse en “esa vida” que se convirtió en testimonio hace 800 años y que, en el presente, sigue cautivando a miles de seres humanos alrededor del mundo.
El “loco de Dios” o, como bien apuntó G. K. Chesterton, “El espejo de Cristo”, fue un ser humano que rozó ese ligero velo que, cuando se destapa, lo mortal y lo eterno llegan a entremezclarse. Podemos decir que vivió en el mundo terrenal, pero su alma ya se encontraba en el reino de los cielos.
Uno, conmovido e incluso apenado por la limitación de su propia biografía, se pregunta: ¿Cómo Francisco de Asís alcanzó esa plenitud en la vida terrenal, la cual se encuentra limitada en sí misma? Creo suponer que, con la máxima tan apartada por este mundo asfixiante, de dejarse hacer. Este héroe se dejó invadir por la gracia de una fuerza etérea ilimitada. Bebió de esa fuente inagotable desde su propia caída del caballo en San Damián hasta su muerte en la roca fría y desnuda de la Porciúncula.
Llegó a la radicalidad, hermana de la locura, y le permitió amar hasta el extremo, de la misma manera que Jesucristo hizo con la humanidad. Se casó con la pobreza y le fue fiel hasta el final.
Difícil copiar a Francisco, diría que imposible, más todavía en la sociedad actual. Pero no se trata de imitar, sino de acoger su imagen viva y convertirla en una estrella en el horizonte que guía, no porque uno busque idolatrar, pues esto es reservado solamente para Dios, sino porque verdaderamente uno vive en esta tierra compleja y le conforta echar, de vez en cuando, una mirada al cielo y vislumbrar, en este caso, una pequeña y humilde estrella que no busca brillar más que el sol, sino acompañar al desorientado en la oscuridad de la noche para que, cuando llegue el alba, haya llegado a su destino.
Esta se produce al coger el relato de una vida que sobrecoge el alma y acompañarla de un viaje de caminos verdosos, repletos de coníferas, álamos, hayas y pueblos cuya razón de existencia en este mundo es la de ofrecer un oasis que permite a uno viajar a épocas pasadas. Esta combinación de lectura y peregrinaje le permite a uno adentrarse en “esa vida” que se convirtió en testimonio hace 800 años y que, en el presente, sigue cautivando a miles de seres humanos alrededor del mundo.
El “loco de Dios” o, como bien apuntó G. K. Chesterton, “El espejo de Cristo”, fue un ser humano que rozó ese ligero velo que, cuando se destapa, lo mortal y lo eterno llegan a entremezclarse. Podemos decir que vivió en el mundo terrenal, pero su alma ya se encontraba en el reino de los cielos.
Uno, conmovido e incluso apenado por la limitación de su propia biografía, se pregunta: ¿Cómo Francisco de Asís alcanzó esa plenitud en la vida terrenal, la cual se encuentra limitada en sí misma? Creo suponer que, con la máxima tan apartada por este mundo asfixiante, de dejarse hacer. Este héroe se dejó invadir por la gracia de una fuerza etérea ilimitada. Bebió de esa fuente inagotable desde su propia caída del caballo en San Damián hasta su muerte en la roca fría y desnuda de la Porciúncula.
Llegó a la radicalidad, hermana de la locura, y le permitió amar hasta el extremo, de la misma manera que Jesucristo hizo con la humanidad. Se casó con la pobreza y le fue fiel hasta el final.
Difícil copiar a Francisco, diría que imposible, más todavía en la sociedad actual. Pero no se trata de imitar, sino de acoger su imagen viva y convertirla en una estrella en el horizonte que guía, no porque uno busque idolatrar, pues esto es reservado solamente para Dios, sino porque verdaderamente uno vive en esta tierra compleja y le conforta echar, de vez en cuando, una mirada al cielo y vislumbrar, en este caso, una pequeña y humilde estrella que no busca brillar más que el sol, sino acompañar al desorientado en la oscuridad de la noche para que, cuando llegue el alba, haya llegado a su destino.
January 26, 2012
This is a book I read in college, and it changed the way I looked at the world. Somewhere in moves, and shifting about, the book was lost, stolen, given away, and I got a craving for it. It is as good now as it was 20 years ago. And, it still changes my views.
September 13, 2020
It's a sweet book. Simple and engaging it travels the life of St Francis of Assisi. Written from his spiritual perspective, it doesn't glamorise the mans life. We see his success in youth, his disappointment in middle age and his death. There is a lot to learn about the man and his desire to leave his rich upbringing and found an order. The chapters are simple and easy to understand. The author also uses Francis life to provide a commentary on the world and the political problems of the Cold War in the mid 80's. It is not an escapist novel but a spiritual look into the life of a man who was married to lady poverty.
December 24, 2022
A biography of Saint Francis of Assisi written in auto-biographical form. Carlo Carretto brings St. Francis to life, having him tell his life while providing commentary of the current times (being 1980). As one familiar with the life of St. Francis I enjoyed the layout and Carretto's thoughts on Francis' life. However, I would not recommend this as an introduction to Francis, primarily because of the commentary in place. The book includes, as other of Carretto's books, with a mini liturgy of the hours. In this case it is a liturgy of the hours with the writings of Francis and psalm verses grouped in the spirit of St. Francis.
February 20, 2022
Outstanding!! A must read, especially if you are a Franciscan Missionary as I am.
August 14, 2023
Francisco en primera persona, con oraciones y lecturas para el rezo al final
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2025
Necessary words written from the heart in a lovely, nearby, poetic voice. I could not help but read it at the pace that I knew I was truly taking it into the deeps of my soul where it will last.
December 6, 2010
sudah lama sekali buku ini aku baca.
dulu, manakala aku mengalami stress oleh tugas akhir, buku ini jadi pelarianku... hehe.
menggunakan kata ganti "aku" untuk fransiskus buku ini dibuat mirip otobiografi. itu istimewanya kisah ttg mistikus besar ini. kisah dari orang yg pada jamannya dituduh gila ini lalu tersingkap. memang lalu semuanya jadi terang, logis, tidak gila lagi. atributnya sbagai orang suci lalu menjadi sah.
kotbahnya pada ikan dan burung serta pertobatan anjing yg semula ngamuk di kota itu terasa jadi logis.
itu semua berkat pengisahan ulang dari orang kemudian. bukan sekadar mengisahkan namun sudah punya pra anggapan bahwa orang gila ini seorang santo sehingga harus dicari cara untuk menyingkapkan kegilaan itu untuk mendapatkan kebenaran di baliknya.
ini memperlihatkan sulitnya menulis tentang orang besar yang dikembalikan lagi sebagai manusia biasa.
dulu, manakala aku mengalami stress oleh tugas akhir, buku ini jadi pelarianku... hehe.
menggunakan kata ganti "aku" untuk fransiskus buku ini dibuat mirip otobiografi. itu istimewanya kisah ttg mistikus besar ini. kisah dari orang yg pada jamannya dituduh gila ini lalu tersingkap. memang lalu semuanya jadi terang, logis, tidak gila lagi. atributnya sbagai orang suci lalu menjadi sah.
kotbahnya pada ikan dan burung serta pertobatan anjing yg semula ngamuk di kota itu terasa jadi logis.
itu semua berkat pengisahan ulang dari orang kemudian. bukan sekadar mengisahkan namun sudah punya pra anggapan bahwa orang gila ini seorang santo sehingga harus dicari cara untuk menyingkapkan kegilaan itu untuk mendapatkan kebenaran di baliknya.
ini memperlihatkan sulitnya menulis tentang orang besar yang dikembalikan lagi sebagai manusia biasa.
March 25, 2011
E' come se Francesco si ritrovasse qui, dopo un salto enorme di 800 anni, nel nuovo millennio. Vien così facile a lui confrontare la propria vita ad una vita d'adesso, perché poi il mondo non è poi così cambiato. Sempre gli stessi sono i problemi esistenziali che ci assillano, ed anzi, adesso l'esistenza rischia pure di cessare d'esistere. "Ma conosco abbastanza l'uomo e so che se è preso dalla paura tenterà di schiacciare il bottone della distruzione per paura che sia l'altro a schiacciarlo per primo." Francesco cerca di cambiare le cose, di sistemarle a modo suo, di far coraggio agli uomini e superare le proprie paure, vuole un mondo pacifico e "La non violenza sta nella distruzione della paura". Una biografia moderna, scritta bene, che fa pensare.
February 19, 2018
First read some long time ago.
March 27, 2016
Another good Francis biography (like a bunch of others)
June 13, 2017
Simple and to the point but immersed in the Franciscan spirituality
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews