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You will love this extraordinary course.

St. Francis of Assisi invented the way we celebrate Christmas. The Stations of the Cross go back to his inspiration. Eucharistic devotions are rooted in his 13th-century writings. Prayers honoring the Virgin Mary can be traced to his ideas.

A deep affection for Jesus in the events of His earthly life made Francis love the Gospel. Prolonged meditation on the words of Jesus bore fruit in form of  Francis’ writings and way of life. Franciscan spirituality is the treasure we have received from this ''little poor man'' of Assisi. 

In this series of lectures, former Franciscan School of Theology president Br. William “Bill” Short shares some of the treasures of Franciscan spirituality. These lectures focus on the writings and life of Francis himself, without forgetting the contributions of St. Clare of Assisi, St. Bonaventure, St. Anthony of Padua and Br. John Duns Scotus. Franciscan spirituality is still a growing worldwide religious phenomenon today, and its modern-day influence will not be neglected.

This rich spiritual tradition also poses questions that can puzzle us. The primary virtues for Francis, after charity, are humility and patience. Why is that? Why does he consider joy a good defense against the devil's influence? What led his followers to connect the Incarnation of the Word with the creation of the universe? 

Explore the profound and accessible Franciscan spiritual tradition, one that sees Christ at the heart of the world. This is the gift of St. Francis: it is ''the treasure of a poor man.''

With this order you will receive, free of charge, a detailed Electronic Study Guide. With your confirmation email, you will receive a link that will take you to this Electronic Study Guide, which includes outlines for each topic, review questions and suggested readings for further study. The link to access this Electronic Study Guide will also be included on the case of your CDs or DVDs. You are allowed to print up to 7 copies of your guide. Simply click on the link, or type it into your browser, to access the file.

Speaker Photo by Scott Anger

About Your Presenter

Br. William Short is a Franciscan Friar the former President and Academic Dean of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. He is currently Professor of Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union and Director of the St. Francis Retreat Center in California.

After graduating from the University of San Francisco, he completed an M.A. in Philosophical and Systematic Theology before receiving the S.T.L. and S.T.D. degrees from the Gregorian University in Rome.

Br. Short has dedicated his scholarly work to a retrieval of the Franciscan tradition of spirituality and theology. He is co-editor of the three-volume series of English translations of all the documents written by St. Francis of Assisi and his earliest biographers: Francis of Assisi: Early Documents. He has published works on the history of the Franciscan movement and its spirituality.

Speaker Photo by Scott Anger

Topic Titles

• Spirit and Life: Hearing the Gospel and Putting It into Practice
• Cleaning the House Inside Us: The Word in Our Hearts
• A Poor Woman and the Word: The Blessed Virgin Mary
• Christmas as the Meaning of History: The Incarnation
• The Humility of God: Reverence for the Holy Eucharist
• We Adore You: The Cross at the Heart of the Church
• A Salutation of the Virtues: Humility and Patience
• True and Perfect Joy: Enduring Suffering, Keeping Peace
• No Gloomy Hypocrites! Spiritual Joy to Frustrate the Devil
• The Soul's Journey into God: The Path of Franciscan Mysticism
• The Mirror Hanging on the Cross: Finding Our True Self in Christ Crucified
• Christ the Center of All Things: Nature as God's Good Creation in Christ